


A New Life

by Wayward_Samwise



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Aged up characters, Alternate Universe - Prison, Arson, Attempt at Humor, Blood and Injury, Blood and Violence, Bokuto Koutarou & Kuroo Tetsurou are Bros, Death, Everyone Is Gay, Flashbacks, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Guard ukai, Gun Violence, How Do I Tag, I can’t do that to myself or anyone else for that matter, Implied Sexual Content, Injury, Injury Recovery, M/M, Mentions of Suicide, Minor Character Death, More like non con butt grabs, Not Beta Read, Not Canon Compliant, Past Relationship(s), Permanent Injury, Prison, Protective Bokuto Koutarou, Protective Kuroo Tetsurou, Rape/Non-con Elements, Rating May Change, Sexual Tension, Slow Burn, Tags May Change, Triggers, Weapons, akaashi is sneaky, but it won’t ever be graphic, but just in case, guard daichi, guard takeda, haha - Freeform, ill add tags as i go, im not sorry, main ship is Akaashi and bokuto, more ships will be added, murderer Akaashi keiji, not a lot, obviously, past konoha akinori/ Akaashi keiji, so is oikawa, sometimes, the others are kinda minor, this took a lot of convincing to myself to actually post it, who knows - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-21
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:21:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 47,890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27657443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wayward_Samwise/pseuds/Wayward_Samwise
Summary: Akaashi Keiji gets sent to prison where he meets Bokuto Koutarou, and a hand full of other inmates brimming with secrets. How will his new life unravel in this new place he is forced to call home?
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Akaashi Keiji/Konoha Akinori, Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou, Takeda Ittetsu/Ukai Keishin, Tendou Satori/Ushijima Wakatoshi
Comments: 41
Kudos: 112





	1. New Fish

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! So this is my prison au, for my weirdly specific needs of course. I will update every other day as a goal, but I wrote out a couple chapters to begin with. 
> 
> PLEASE READ THE TAGS!! They’re all over the place, but still, please do. x
> 
> I am far from even being considered a good writer, but I needed this for some reason I don’t know of myself... haha. So, I gave it a go. I’m not really sure how long this will end up being- probably quite long, but yeah, let’s git itttt! 
> 
> Ps- this had the potential to get a little bit dark at times, so just be warned maybe. Thanks!
> 
> Also, kudos and comments are always welcome🖤 It encourages me🖤

Akaashi felt foolish. So damn foolish for getting caught up in the mess that lead up to this moment. He had gone and gotten arrested, and to think that he was usually so particular with his crimes. Yet, he panicked and got careless.  Stupid.

Presently, he was sat on the back row of a grimy prison bus, waiting for his new life to begin. The seats were made of ageing leather, clearly patched over multiple times, and smelt funky. He screwed his nose up at the thought of how many people had sat there over the years. He was no germaphobe, but the thought made him cringe nonetheless. 

He sighed quietly, careful not to draw attention to himself. Getting caught was such a pain in the ass. He really didn’t want to go to prison for the rest of his life at the early age of 23. 

He definitely deserved it- he knew that- but in his defence, the man he killed shouldn’t have reported him to the police for his other crimes. He had let this person get too close to him- a mistake he wouldn’t be repeating- and once he had his traitorous hands on a bunch of evidence on Akaashi’s crimes, he went and handed it all over to the authorities. He would never trust anyone to get that close to him again, no matter how he felt about them. Of course, this person got a bullet in the shoulder for his efforts and bled out.  _Weak_ ,  he mused at the memory, rolling his eyes. 

Akaashi was a criminal, and he had never denied that fact. He was just a lot less dramatic than others. He lived quietly, and chose his own clientele to fake IDs for. He occasionally branched out to blackmail people for some extra cash, and eventually obtained enough information on them to rob them blind. He only ever chose people who deserved it, however. He was no saint, but he had morals of sorts. 

A harsh bump in the road pulled him from his thoughts, and he glanced out of the questionably stained windows in time to see the looming, grey prison come into view. Or, his new home for the rest of his life. 

He couldn’t help but wonder what brute he would be stuck with as a cell mate. As long as they kept to themselves and maybe didn’t talk- like, at all- he could live with that, but he supposed he didn’t have much of a choice. Knowing his most recent luck, he would be paired with someone huge and overpowering. He could defend himself well enough, but he wasn’t a fighter. He observed, and used his words to his advantage when at all possible. He just needed to gather as much information as he could on everyone. At least then he could perhaps blackmail them into not hurting him. 

The bus came to an abrupt stop signalling their arrival, and a guard stood at the front of the aisle, gripping a clipboard which Akaashi assumed had the newcomer’s information on. A bored expression sat on the guard’s face, as he ran his free hand through his long, pushed back blonde hair. 

‘Okay, listen up. Upon exit of the bus, repeat offenders line up to the left, and new comers to the right. Don’t bother trying anything, because I will not hesitate to shoot you. Got that?’ He instructed loudly, resting a hand on his hip and lazily glaring at an offender sitting on the front row. He had dyed sandy hair with a dark undercut. The inmate simply shrugged heavily, and laughed a little. Akaashi couldn’t help but wonder what had happened there, before standing up with the rest of the inmates and filing out one by one. 

As he stepped out of the transport, the sun blinded him momentarily as he moved to stand to the right. Mid-day. He briefly took in his surroundings as he stood at the back of the line. 

They were within the prison walls now, next to a tall metal fence topped with barbed wire.  _ Seemed to be more of a back entrance _ _,_ he thought to himself. They had all been fingerprinted and searched before the ride over, so he figured all that was left to do was be shown to their cells. Not everyone received life sentences here, but Akaashi was one of the ones that had, and prayed that he was situated with bearable neighbours at least- for his sanity, seen as he had no chance of parole or early release. 

Once role call was over with, they were ushered through the tall fence, and lead around the corner in single file. They were taken through a few more security gates, leading into a large yard with a fenced off dusty pathway leading down the centre, with inmates milling around either side. 

They had barely taken a step forward down the pathway, before there were various shouts from the inmates. 

‘Hey look, new fish!’ A man had called out from somewhere, which made Akaashi wither. He forgot what being new to a prison meant- don’t drop the soap and all that. He wasn’t one to lose his composure easily, that was for sure, but he could feel panic beginning to set in as the inmates began to close in on them from both sides. He understood he was going to prison, but no jail could make him feel as trapped as he did with all of the people surrounding him now. The floor suddenly became very interesting to him, as he tried his best to drown out the sneers and wolf whistles from the inmates in the yard. 

‘He sure is a pretty one.’ 

‘Just look at those blue eyes.’

‘He can cell share with me- I’m looking for a new one.’ 

‘Back off, he’s mine. I’m calling dibs.’

Akaashi growled quietly to himself in frustration. If he was going to be here for the rest of his life, he would have to do something to get these damn hyenas off his back, or he would be seen as a pushover. He was anything but that on the outside, but in prison? Not so much. What, with the murders and rapists milling around. Sure, he had killed his... a man, but he had a gun. A lot of these guys would be good in a fight, and could easily overpower him in almost any situation. Glancing around slyly, he could see that most of them were huge. He himself was quite small. He was around 5’10 perhaps, and although that wasn’t particularly short, he hadn’t much muscle on him since quitting volleyball after high school, to become a... negotiator. 

One particular prisoner with dark, messy hair and big eyes piped up, shouting loudly at the guy with dyed hair from the bus, whom was leading the line. 

‘Hey, Terushima! Back already? It’s only been two months- did you miss me that much?’ He teased, fingers laced through the diamond holes in the fence. Terushima smirked widely, coming to a stop with his hands in his pockets like he owned the place.

‘You know I get homesick, Takeharu! I just couldn’t stay away.’ He joked, pulling a hand out to fist bump his friend against the metal, laughing loudly with each other. 

Akaashi focused on this interaction intently, drowning out the sneers from the gross, ageing inmate to his left. Gathering information- even this early on- was important after all. However, in his distracted state, he didn’t see the guard from the bus swing his baton, slamming it into the fence mere inches away from Terushima’s hand. Akaashi and Takeharu both flinched and jumped back, but the blonde merely gave an exasperated sigh, and slowly put his hand back in his pocket. The guard frowned at him. 

‘Okay, that’s enough of that, and get in line. The rest of you, back to yard time or you can all waste time in the cells for the rest of the day!’ He growled, pointing his baton at various prisoners as a warning. Reluctantly, the inmates pulled away and stepped further back, but Akaashi could still feel their filthy gazes on him, and could only internally recoil at the thought of what was going through their minds. 

——— ———

Once they were given their bed rolls and simple bag of essentials, they were shown to their cells.

Akaashi was the last to be assigned, and couldn’t help but thank God. Every person so far was terrifying, but he supposed that meant the odds weren’t exactly in his favour either. He was bound to get someone similar, but was thankful that he wasn’t with any of the ones he had seen so far all the same. However, the other inmates he had come in with were bigger than him anyway, so he figured they would be more or less okay. He silently wished them luck nonetheless. 

The guard came to a stop in front of a stairwell in the middle of the cell room, and turned to face Akaashi. 

‘Listen kid, you’re getting a cell on the 3rd floor. It’s where we cell the murderers. This is a heads up to say that you will probably experience a bit of trouble, if I’m honest.’ He explained, putting a hand on Akkashi’s shoulder. ‘I get you’re probably dangerous yourself, but if you want my honest opinion on how this will go down... well, you just seem like easy prey.’ 

_ Well thank God for honesty _ _._ He sighed. 

‘Yes. I’m aware that most of these sadists think I’m pretty and will probably want me as their bitch, but like you say... I am dangerous, and- unfortunately for them- they underestimate me.’ Akaashi replied, tilting his head to the side with a neutral expression. The guard’s face was indeed priceless after that. Again, he was no good in a fight and would probably get beat a few times, but once he found his footing in a situation, he liked to think he was unstoppable. Therefore, in the long run, anyone who decided to mess with him would pay. He literally had nothing to lose at this point. What were they going to do, give him a longer sentence? Laughable, seen as death row was no longer a thing. They could move him to a higher security prison, but he didn’t really care at this point. 

The guard coughed, clearly uncomfortable and removed his hand from Akaashi’s shoulder to rub the back of his own neck awkwardly. 

‘Right, well I just thought I would warn you. We have some questionable people here after all.’ He supplied, turning around and walking up the stairs two steps at a time. Akaashi followed suit. He noted that all of the cell doors were open, so it must be work hours or free time maybe. Inmates stalked past them now and then, and he also noted people leaving one cell and entering another. So they were allowed to visit each other’s cells, not that he would be doing much of that anyway. Looking further down, he saw thin metal bridges connecting each side of the prison on the top 2 levels, with a staircase in the middle of each one. Everything was grey, save for the orange jumpsuits everyone wore. 

As they ascended the last flight of stairs, an excitable orange haired inmate ran past them to the floor below, bumping into Akaashi’s arm. He was small. Very small. He looked up into steely eyes, his own widening with fascination.

‘Oh, sorr- ah, a newbie! Hi, my name is Hinata Shoyo! Nice to meet you. What’s your name? Oh, you’re going to level 3, that means you killed someone! How did you kill th-‘ he rambled, taking Akaashi aback, before another prisoner stomped past them and grabbed Hinata by the collar of his jumpsuit. He had sleek black hair, and a deep scowl set on his sharp features.

‘Hinata, boke! Stop asking a murderer so many damn questions!’ He yelled in Hinata’s face, as he began to drag him away. ‘Erm, sorry.’ He said awkwardly over his shoulder, as he stalked off with Hinata in tow. Akaashi shrugged, and turned to face the guard again. The latter snickered behind his hand. 

‘That’s Hinata and Kageyama for you. They’re weirdos, but completely harmless. Anyway...’ he trailed off, guiding Akaashi the last few steps to his cell near the staircase. He tapped his baton on the heavy looking cell door. ‘Bokuto, get out here. You’ve got yourself a new cellmate, so come and say hi.’ 

A large hand firmly grasped the doorframe, and Bokuto stepped out from behind the wall. He was a good 4 or 5 inches taller than Akaashi himself, and though he was clearly muscular, he reckoned he could take him on if he really had to. What really caught his attention though, was his obnoxiously spiked hair. It was a light grey colour with black roots, and stuck up mainly in two different directions, giving him the look of a wild bird or something. The loud voice of the man in front of him cut off his train of thought.

‘HEY HEY HEY! Welcome to paradise roomie!’ Bokuto shouted at the top of his lungs, arms spread out wide, making Akaashi physically cringe away from him. The latter sent a questioning glance over at the guard, who stood closely by with an amused expression on his face. He caught Akaashi’s eye, and shrugged. Bokuto continued, barely lowering his volume as he spoke. ‘So, care to introduce us, Ukai?’ He asked, slapping a hand onto the guard’s back, hard.  _So his name is Ukai,_ Akaashi mentally noted, still awkwardly stood to the side with his bed roll in his arms. Ukai rolled his eyes.

‘What have I told you about touching me, Bokuto? It’s weird, and you’re stronger than what you realise, so stop. I will not hesitate to pepper spray you next time.’ He warned, poking him gently in the stomach with his baton, sending him a glare. Bokuto held his hands up in mock innocence and stage-stepped back away from him, a playful grin still plastered on his face. Ukai shook his head. ‘Whatever. Anyway, this is... wait I don’t remember your name, sorry. Fuck it, I’ll leave you guys to introductions. Bokuto, maybe show him around and explain some stuff to him.’ He made to step toward the stairs, but stopped next to Akaashi, placing a hand on his shoulder once again. ‘Good luck kid, you’re going to need it.’ He mumbled, before taking off down the stairs at a light jog. 

He deflated a little at Ukai’s words. So was this guy a crazy, overpowering asshole after all? He seriously hoped not, but turned to face his new room mate all the same, and bowed slightly. 

‘Akaashi Keiji.’ He supplied, not daring to say anything else yet, as he straightened up to look Bokuto in the eyes with unwavering bravery. He could tell by just looking at him that he was intense- his eyes were wide with... fascination almost? It put him on edge. However, Bokuto stepped confidently forward and landed a heavy hand on his shoulder, steering him into the cell.

‘Hey ‘kashi, nice to meet you!’

‘It’s Akaashi.’ He corrected before he could stop himself. Bokuto hummed to himself. 

‘Riiiight. Well, ‘kashi-‘

‘Akaashi.’

‘-lemme take that for you. I remember how annoying it was to carry this around when I first got here.’ He said, not waiting for an answer as he grabbed the bed roll from him, and dumped it on the top bunk. ‘Oh! I’m Bokuto Koutaro. I’ve been here for 6 years now, and I don’t mean brag but I am the best cellmate ever, so congrats! You’re totally in luck. Hey, want me to show you around maybe?’ 

Why the hell was he being so nice to him? They didn’t know a single thing about each other, yet he was chatting to him like they were friends. He wanted to trust his cellmate, of course, but no one is that friendly right off the bat. Right? He kept his neutral expression schooled, and nodded his head once. 

‘Sure, thank you, Bokuto-san.’ 

———- ———-

After a few hours of being shown around, Akaashi had the basic layout memorised, noting important places he would probably frequent. Like bathrooms, the dining hall, medical; he wasn’t going to kid himself, he would probably be needing that at some point. He barely spoke as Bokuto walked next to him, whom turned to walk backwards every now and then- sheepishly bumping into walls and doorframes- almost causing Akaashi to smile. Almost. 

On the walk back from the library, a loud bell sounded, which apparently signalled dinner time. Bokuto gasped excitedly at the thought of food, and took Akaashi by the wrist to drag him to the line in the cafeteria. He grabbed a tray from the pile, and handed it him with a toothy smile. Akaashi thanked him with a small bow, and stood patiently behind him in line, shooting careful glances around the room to take in his surroundings. He didn’t want anyone to think he was staring, or looking for a fight. There were tables littered around the room in no particular order, and the benches connected to the tables themselves- _probably to stop inmates using them as weapons-_ he noted, taking a step forwards in line. 

Everything seemed to be going okay for him so far. Bokuto seemed genuine, and no one had threatened or even touched him. He did suppose it was because he was with his cellmate, who was loud and obnoxious, and a decent repellent to other inmates it seemed. Until now. 

As they neared the front of the line, the man standing behind him leant forward and grabbed his butt, firmly. Akaashi went stiff, and clutched the empty tray in his hands, turning his knuckles white. He felt the man’s breath on his neck.

‘Hey new fish, what’s your name?’ He breathed, sticking a tongue out to skim along his earlobe. He was about to swing his tray in defence, but felt a gentle arm snake around his shoulders, pulling him away from the creepy man. Akaashi looked up in surprise to see Bokuto glaring menacingly down at the other inmate- his usual exuberant demeanour vanished, replaced with what seemed to be pure rage. That expression scared Akaashi, and the man it belonged to currently had his arm around him. However, although Bokuto was unfamiliar, and currently emitting threatening behaviour, he was clearly helping him out. The latter stepped between the two, gritting his teeth as he spoke-  his jaw set in anger. 

‘What the fuck are you doing? He’s new, so don’t be sleezy and fuck off.’ Bokuto warned, squeezing Akaashi’s shoulder. ‘Kashi, go get some food. I got this.’ He didn’t need to be told twice, and slipped out from under Bokuto’s arm. He even let the mispronunciation of his name slide just this once. He heard a set of knuckles being cracked behind him, as he quickly made his way over to the counter.

He grabbed an apple, a bread roll and a carton of milk, and allowed the inmate on dinner duty to serve him... something brown and sloppy, and stalked off to an empty seat in the corner of the room. He merely stared at his food, not daring to look at anyone. What the hell was wrong with him? That was bound to happen at some point, he knew it, and yet here he was staring at his questionable food in terror like it had grown horns. He supposed it could, really- it definitely just moved by itself. The childish thought made him smile, which lasted all but a second before someone came up behind him.

‘You’re in my seat.’ They mumbled. Akaashi let out an irritated huff, and squeezed his eyes shut in irritation before he could stop. He really couldn’t help himself sometimes- people were just so  stupid . He gestured to the empty table he was sat at without turning around, clearly pointing out that they could sit literally anywhere else. A different, rougher voice answered however. 

‘You won’t mind moving then, right  _friend_?’  Akaashi stiffened once again, and nodded. He got up to move to the far side of the table, still not turning around. He could monitor them from a distance. 

As he took his seat, he looked up to see a small, skinny looking inmate, wearing what seemed to be a jumpsuit five times too big for him, with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He sat in the seat Akaashi was in moments before, hunched over and poking at his food. He had blonde hair with alarming lengths of brown roots showing, and large cat-like eyes.  _Why was everyone so weird here?_ He asked himself as he face palmed, and looked to the second inmate. 

He was clearly a lot taller than his companion, he could tell. Even with them sitting down. He had wild black hair, half sticking straight up and the other covering one of his eyes. He spoke with confidence in-between spoonfuls of food, occasionally adding some of it to the other’s plate, who wrinkled his nose but accepted it all the same. They were certainly interesting people. 

He sighed, and just as he was about to test out his food, he heard Bokuto approach him. How he knew it was Bokuto he had no idea, because he didn’t say a word, even as he took a seat next to him.  Weird . He wasn’t quite sure how to break the ice after what happened, but the taller inmate from before spoke up, addressing Bokuto himself. 

‘What’s up, bro. Something happen?’  _Bro_. Bokuto shrugged lightly, and poked at his food similarly to the smaller prisoner. Akaashi raised his eyebrows at this curious turn of events, and focused on Bokuto with his weird change of character. Was this still the same person? Was he bipolar or something? His mind raced with questions.

‘Bokuto-san, what happened with... him?’ Akaashi asked quietly, trying not to draw too much attention to detail. Bokuto looked him in the eyes, a coldness resonating from him, as Akaashi noticed a small amount of blood staining his knuckles in his peripheral. 

‘He won’t bother you again, ‘kashi. Don’t worry, he walked into a door and lost a tooth.’ He mumbled. 

A weird kind of silence passed over the table in the wake of Bokuto’s psychotic emo mode.

‘Aaaanyways, are you going to introduce us to your new buddy here?’ Kuroo asked, nodding his head in Akaashi’s direction, startling him slightly. At this, Bokuto perked up almost immediately, and put his arm around him once again. Akaashi squeaked in surprise, and whipped his head around to glare at Bokuto. 

‘This is ‘kaashi, my new cellmate!’

‘It’s Akaashi.’ He deadpanned for what felt like one hundredth time that day already.

‘Kaashi, this is my best bro, Kuroo Tetsurou and his boyfriend, Kozume Kenma.’ He practically yelled, clearly back to his usual self. Kuroo rolled his eyes.

‘Dude, we aren’t dating. How many times do I have to tell you that?’ 

‘Broooo, Kenma sits in your lap all of the time, and you give him your dessert every time we get it! Also, you’re super handsy with each other.’ Bokuto said, matter-of-factly, scooping an unhealthy amount of brown stuff into his mouth with his free hand. Akaashi watched in shameless disbelief, as he added a second scoop to his mouth without swallowing his first. Kuroo nodded, squinting his eyes at the display between the two in front of him. 

‘Uh huh, says the guy wrapping his arm around a convicted murderer he barely knows.’ With this, Bokuto flicked his gaze down to Akaashi, cheeks still filled with food. The bright sun shone through one of the only small windows in the room, casting vivid rays of light across the new comer’s pretty face, creating subtle shadows on his features as he stared back. He gulped, sheepishly removing his arm from around his cell mate’s slender shoulders, stiffly laughing it off. 

‘My bad, sorry ‘kaashi.’ He smiled widely. Akaashi smiled back shyly, forgetting to correct him for the name thing.

Time seemed to slow down for Akaashi, as he observed Bokuto closely out of the corner of his eyes. He pretended to be super interested with his food, but couldn’t help but notice how close the two friends seemed as they animatedly spoke with one another. He could see that this Kuroo guy was a little more reserved compared to Bokuto, but they were so familiar with each other that it sent a small pang through his heart. He felt lonely for the first time in what felt like years. He was always a loner at school, and even after he left he very much kept to himself, but now that he was surrounded with people just like him, he felt stranded. 

He shook his head to clear his thoughts, and focused on the smaller inmate, Kenma, was it? He hadn’t said a word the entire time, and that set off warning flags for Akaashi- you don’t trust the quiet ones. He knew that, because he himself was quiet. 

A fake throat-clearing cough interrupted his thoughts. Kuroo was staring at him.

‘So, who’d you kill, Akaashi?’ He asked without the slightest bit of filter. Bokuto gasped dramatically behind his hand next to him, almost falling off the bench as he jumped back. Akaashi didn’t care what he was asked if he was honest, not much mattered to him anymore. He was about answer, but Kenma tutted loudly dragging all attention over to him.

‘You’re not meant to ask people that, Kuro. So dumb.’ He mumbled, resting his elbow on the table, and cheek in his palm. Bokuto and Akaashi both snorted in unison, and Kuroo glared over at both of them, clearly unimpressed. 

‘I’m not dumb, kitten.’ He insisted, a glare still on the pair sat opposite him. Kenma rolled his eyes, and picked up his apple. 

‘Are too.’ 

‘Am not.’ 

‘Are too.’ 

...

‘Am not.’ 

Bokuto laughed, and leant over the table to ruffle Kuroo’s rooster hair roughly. Akaashi allowed himself to smile a little at their small play fight, and as he did so he briefly made eye contact with Kenma, who- to Akaashi’s surprise- smiled back at him, before taking a bite out of his apple and looking back down at his tray of food again. Akaashi considered his next words carefully.

‘I’ll tell you mine, if you tell me yours.’ He said confidently, jaw set in determination. Everyone looked taken aback, even Kenma. They had paused mid play fight, and slowly sank back down to their seats. Akaashi didn’t care- he just wanted information. If it meant telling his tragic backstory before he came to prison, then so be it. A few tense moments of silence passed, before Kuroo nodded his head in agreement, followed by Kenma and Bokuto.

‘I blackmailed the shit out of people, and took everything from them. In the end, they usually killed themselves, or just wound up homeless.’ He explained, taking in everyone’s slack jaws almost hitting the table in disbelief. A vaguely evil smirk crossed his features. ‘Then one day I let someone get too close to me, like an  _ idiot _ ...’ he growled, ‘...and they ended up reporting me to the police with a handful of evidence. So, I tracked him down and shot him.’ He finished with a shrug, and took a small sip from his milk carton. 

When no one said anything after a few minutes, Akaashi raised a questioning eyebrow, clearly waiting for Kuroo to tell his story. The latter chuckled nervously and rubbed his neck, eyes darting to the side to look at Kenma, who looked equally as skittish.

‘I definitely can’t top that on a chart of bad crimes.’ He laughed, and bought his hands behind his head to feign confidence. ‘I just beat the shit out of a couple of people and set fire to their house.’ He explained, shutting his eyes and leaning back. Akaashi nodded along as he stored the information away for later.  _ So he’s a psycho. _ He would have to ask for more detail at a later date, he needed to know why they deserved it for starters. Kenma cleared his throat. 

‘I hacked a top tier government computer system and destroyed their firewalls.’ He deadpanned, before adding, ‘twice. They pretty much let me off the first time becauseit was about eight years ago- I was only fourteen.’ That pulled Akaashi in like a magnet. He was impressed, and it took a lot to make him feel much of anything these days. He broke into the government’s systems at the age of 14?  _ Damn _ . Then, everyone turned their attention to Bokuto. Akaashi would have thought they would know each other’s crimes by now, but it seemed unlikely the way everyone was drawn in. Bokuto folded his arms across his chest, and sighed. 

‘I’ve never told anyone what I did, ‘kashi. Not even Tetsurou. I don’t really wanna get into it right now.’ He muttered, eyes downcast and taking hold of his milk carton, only to struggle with the opening of it. ‘Just know, I’ve been given multiple life sentences.’ 

A few minutes of tense silence passed over the group, the muffled voices of other inmates filling their ears as they sat in disbelief.  _ What the hell did he do? _

Still struggling to open his milk, Bokuto let out a low growl. Akaashi looked up at him in time to see a pout form on his lips, which made his icy heart melt just a little. He looked like such a child, so he figured he should offer him some assistance. 

‘Here, Bokuto-san. I’ll give it a try.’ He suggested, holding his hand out for the milk carton. Bokuto looked surprised at his offer, and blinked a couple of times before handing it over slowly. He opened it within seconds with a quick rip of the cardboard, and pushed it back over. As he pulled his hand away, the feel of Bokuto’s calloused fingers brushed against his own as he picked the carton up. Akaashi felt a small dusting of pink cross his cheeks at the unexpected contact, and deftly looked away to hide his face. Bokuto literally cheered about his opened milk.

‘Thanks ‘kaashi! How have I managed without you so far?’ Bokuto asked, slurping away at his milk loudly. Akaashi turned his head back around to stare at him, sure that the former knew what was coming. 

‘Bokuto-san, my name is Akaashi.’ He said, actually grinning broadly for the first time in probably his whole life. It felt... good. His cellmate nodded enthusiastically, milk carton still against his lips, before pulling it away with a resounding smack, sending an embarrassing shiver down Akaashi’s spine.

There was a snort from opposite them, coming from Kuroo. The two cellmates raised their brows at him in question. 

‘Watching you two is genuinely painful, y’know that right? I hate to think what you’ll belike in a few weeks.’ He said, leaning his arm on Kenma’s shoulder who didn’t even flinch. Bokuto shrugged.

‘Says you. You guys don’t even know you’re dating! It’s kinda sad really, right ‘kaashi?’ 

‘Yes, Bokuto-san.’ He said simply, receiving multiple hard pats to the back from Bokuto as thanks. Kuroo rolled his eyes.

‘Alright Mr suck-up. Niceties get you nowhere in here, y’know?’ He said, pouting and leaning even more weight onto Kenma as he sulked. Bokuto shook his head fondly at his friend, but stood up suddenly. Then, without warning, grabbed Akaashi by the wrist again. 

‘’Kaashi, we should go shower before it gets too crowded, come on.’ He said, and pulled him away from the table, leaving their empty trays behind. ‘Bye guys, see you around.’ He called over his shoulder, as they left the room. Akaashi couldn’t help but feel bad for not saying goodbye, but he didn’t have much of a choice. He did get dragged off after all. He vaguely heard one of the guards shout for them to clear their trays, but Bokuto merely stuck a middle finger up over his head as they exited the room.  _So they actually let him get away with things like that?_ He thought to himself, as they entered the cell block to grab their shower items. 


	2. The First Night

As they rounded the corner to the showers, the first thing that caught Akaashi’s attention was the serious lack of guards around. He knew it wasn’t an extremely high security prison, but they still had murderers walking around, and the thought made him shiver. He may also be a murderer, but he wasn’t much of a physical threat to anyone at all. Did they not know what happened in the showers in every prison movie known to man? 

Walking further in, Akaashi saw that in the far corner sat an inmate behind a white counter with his feet up, reading a magazine on... aliens? Another inmate folding clean towels into piles stood next to him, a deep frown set across his face. Bokuto lead him over so they could grab some towels for themselves, and began talking to the scowling man with short, dark spiked hair. 

‘Towel duty again, Iwaizumi? Unlucky!’ He commented loudly, as he swiped a towel from the bottom of the pile without thinking, sending them toppling over. ‘Oops, sorry dude.’ He said with an innocent smile. Iwaizumi’s fists tightened in rage, and reached over the counter to grab Bokuto by the collar, only to be stopped by the other inmate holding onto his elbow.

‘Come on Iwa-chan, leave him alone. You know how clueless the poor guy is.’ He whined, running his free hand through his soft-looking, styled brown hair.  How did this guy look so perfect in prison?  Without waiting for an answer, he fell back into his chair and resumed his reading. Iwaizumi pouted at the use of the ridiculous nickname and huffed, letting his hands fall to his sides. 

‘Hey, Shittykawa, he definitely deserved it that time.’ He growled, as he somehow deepened his frown and looked over at a sheepish Bokuto. The brown haired guy put his magazine down again with a dramatic sigh, and stood up with his hands placed on his hips. 

‘Mean, Iwa-chan.’ He said, sticking his tongue out at his friend. ‘You shouldn’t get so angry all the time, or they’ll throw you in solitary agaaaain.’ He sang, with an exaggerated wink, and throwing up a peace sign. This just made Iwaizumi growl again, and raised his hand to smack the back of his friend’s head. He let out a yelp, and pouted. ‘Iwa-chaaaaaaan.’ He complained, rubbing the back of his head. He finally looked over at Akaashi for the first time, and his eyes lit up. ‘Hey Kou-chan, who is this? He’s almost prettier than me!’ Bokuto handed a towel to Akaashi, and their fingers brushed lightly again as he took it. 

‘Oikawa, Iwaizumi, this is my new cellmate Agaashi.’ He said, resting a grounding hand on his shoulder and looking proud. Akaashi rolled his eyes.

‘It’s Akaashi. Nice to meet you.’ He corrected as he bowed his head in greeting. They both raised their eyebrows in surprise, and Iwaizumi leant on the counter to look him over closely. 

‘Cellmate? That means you’re a fellow murderer then. You don’t look like you could hurt a fly though, no offence. You might wanna watch your back man, cus I seriously doubt you could fend off anyone here, apart from maybe Kenma or Hinata.’ He suggested, shrugging heavily. With this, Akaashi sighed and turned around to walk away. _What a useless piece of information, like he didn’t already know that._ At least he knew what this Iwaizumi guy was imprisoned for now, he just needed  more . He narrowed his eyes a little.

‘Thank you for the concern. Bokuto-san, are you coming?’ He deadpanned, as he walked into the shower room, that-  _ praise the gods and all things holy _ \- had rows of separate stalls. They only covered up to one’s neck, but that was good enough for him. He saw that a couple of them had no doors, but he still saw it as a win in his favour. 

He stepped into one of them, and began getting undressed once the door was shut and locked behind him. He thought back to what Iwaizumi had said about him, and it made him feel uneasy as he stood their completely naked. He was right after all. If someone wanted to take advantage of him, they would pretty much be free to, and there would be nothing he could do to stop them. Not until he had been here long enough to get his claws into everyone else’s private business. He looked at the white sliders he wore on his narrow feet, stark against the off-white tiled floor, and took a shaky breath in at an attempt at keeping his composure. He knew everyone cried on their first day in prison, but he would be different. He rarely felt anything after all. He could do this, he was sure. He was used to being alone in a world full of trashy humans, so why was this any different?

He bent over a little, and braced himself on his knees as he focused on breathing. It was his own fault that he was here after all. He was the careless one that got caught, and for being a shitty human that’s what you get, he supposed. He got what he deserved. All of those people who had ended their lives, and his... well, the man that died at his own hands. They got the justice that someone in the world thought they deserved. Even if they were scumbags themselves, they still lost their lives. 

The next thing he knew, the sound of the stall door closing next to him was snapping him from his thoughts. 

‘You okay, ‘kashi?’ Bokuto asked quietly.  _ Bad timing _ , Akaashi’s brain supplied. Everyone knows that when you’re on the edge of a breakdown and someone asks if you’re okay, you cry. Arguably, he was still human after all. His grip tightened on his knees, and he squeezed his eyes shut to keep the tears from spilling over the edge. He realised he hadn’t answered Bokuto and nodded, hoping it would suffice. It didn’t. ‘I know we barely know each other, ‘kashi, but I’m here for you. You aren’t all alone, even if it may seem that way.’ He whispered, gripping the top of the stall tightly. How did he even know what he was feeling? Akaashi had no idea, but he did know one thing- Bokuto was certainly full of surprises. 

Before he knew what was happening, Bokuto was reaching over the top of the stall, and ruffling Akaashi’s hair gently. Feeling a little embarrassed at the gesture, he opened his eyes and straightened up to turn the water on, promoting Bokuto to reluctantly withdraw his hand. The shorter of the two sighed heavily, and looked over at his cellmate with a glossy gaze. 

‘Thank you, Bokuto-san. I suppose I’m not completely emotionless after all, huh?’ He asked, as he stepped under the extremely underwhelming luke-warm water jetting from the shower. He had meant it as a rhetorical question, but Bokuto answered anyway. Akaashi wasn’t surprised at all. 

‘I don’t think you’re emotionless anyway! Actually, I think you’re super expressive when you’re feeling things. I’ve kinda noticed that your eyes narrow a little when you’re thinking, and you twitch your fingers when something has bothered you. Ah, and you were actually smiling when talking with me, Kuroo and Kenma! Y’know, it’s totally okay to be emotional, ‘kashi.’ He rambled. _He really needed to stop talking. What was he doing to Akaashi?_ He was feeling all kinds of things being around Bokuto, and it was so overwhelming and confusing. He was so used to just being numb to anything he did, and everything that he went through. What was different now?

Once they were showered and dressed again, they walked back to their cell together in relative silence. Akaashi was grateful for this. It had been an extremely long day for him, and he just wanted to be left to his own thoughts for a while. Not that he wasn’t grateful for Bokuto’s presence, in fact it was rather welcome, even when he was constantly rambling about nothing. It grounded him in a way he couldn’t even begin to explain. It had been about 8 hours since he had met Bokuto, and yet he couldn’t help but blindly trust him.  _ Trust got you nowhere before, _ his brain reminded him. Akaashi frowned at his intrusive thoughts. 

As they reached the top floor and neared their cell, Akaashi could see someone stood inside with their hands on their hips. Their tall red hair clashed awfully with the orange jumpsuit they had tied around their waist, and faded white vest top on full display. Bokuto glared at them, clenching his fists at his sides.

‘Tendo Satori, get the hell out of there. You know it’s weird to be in someone else’s cell when they’re not around.’ He growled. If Bokuto wasn’t being his usual chipper self toward someone, it set off the warning bells in Akaashi’s head. The latter stayed behind the larger of them, and poked his head out to get a better look at their intruder. The first thing he noticed wasn’t even the ridiculous hair, it was his eyes. They were large, and knowing. Like he could take one look at someone and know everything about them right off the bat, without even talking to them. He thought his own gaze was intimidating, he had to admit, but he had nothing on this guy. The man smiled widely, showing nearly all of the teeth in his mouth at once, and exaggeratedly cocked his head to the side, looking straight at Akaashi, his pupils dilating in curiosity. 

‘I hear there’s new fish on level three, Koutaro, I just had to come and welcome them to my paradise.’ His amused tone of voice dripped with mirth as he took a step around Bokuto to get closer to Akaashi. The former stepped with him though, and blocked his cellmate from view completely. ‘Ah, come on Koutaro, let me have some fun won’t you?’ He pleaded, lightly poking Bokuto in the shoulder with a bandaged up slender finger.  Weird . Bokuto crossed his arms across his chest, and stepped forward to back Satori up against the metal hand rail on the walkway, doing his best to loom over him despite them being the same height. 

‘It’s Bokuto to you, and I said get out of here.’ He threatened, gritting his teeth and leaning into Satori’s space, pushing his upper body over the rail a little, the long way down to the ground floor stretching out below him. Satori chuckled, and held his hands up in surrender, stepping out from underneath Bokuto. 

‘Just a parting thought, new fish, if you ever need anything bringing in, then come and see me. I can get almost anything... for the right price.’ He said with a wink, as Akaashi showed himself fully. ‘I’m the cell at the far end. I’ll be seeing you soon, I’m sure of it.’ He said with confidence, flicking his eyes over Akaashi briefly, before he walked away with a spring in his step. He could vaguely hear him singing quietly to himself as he went.

‘New fish, new fish ohhhh yeah.’

Bokuto glared at the back of Satori, and visibly deflated with his arms dropping to his sides as soon a he was gone. He clearly hated having to put on a front. Before either of them could speak however, the guy from the shower room appeared next to Akaashi, wearing his jumpsuit similarly to Satori, just with no shirt on. Iwaizumi? 

‘I can never read that guy, but if you want something specific that commissary won’t supply, he is unfortunately your guy. Outside connections through the kitchen deliveries or something.’ He supplied, his arms crossed tightly over his bare, muscular chest. Akaashi did his best to maintain eye contact. Bokuto turned around and gasped at the sight of his lack of clothing, and playfully covered Akaashi’s eyes to shield him from the view.

‘Iwaizumi, put some clothes on, there’s children present!’ He gasped, feigning shock. Akaashi frowned, and peeled the hands away from his face.

‘Bokuto-san, I am fairly certain I’m around the same age as you. I’m not a child.’ He deadpanned, and nodded to Iwaizumi. ‘Thanks for the advice. I’ll bare it in mind.’ He said as he went to walk into his cell, only to be stopped by a hand on his shoulder. Iwaizumi pulled him back roughly, and whispered in his ear.

‘Sorry about before, I wasn’t trying to make shit worse for you. Not everyone’s an asshole here.’  _Oh, he’s trying to keep up his bad boy demeanour by keeping his apology quiet._ Akaashi felt the need to roll his eyes, but stopped himself and nodded his understanding, earning himself a solid pat on the shoulder as thanks. As Iwaizumi backed away, he projected his voice this time, ‘Oh by the way, I’m your neighbour, so welcome to murderers row I guess.’ He flicked a lazy salute to his forehead, and sauntered into the cell next to his and Bokuto’s. _Jeez, everyone was so intense here._ Akaashi just wanted to go to bed forever and never get up, as depressing as that sounded. 

The two cell mates entered their cramped cell, and went about getting ready for lights out, which Bokuto informed would be around an hour away. They started with changing into sleep clothes, which Akaashi hadn’t gotten yet, so Bokuto happily lent him one of the few spare white t-shirts he had. It was at least three sizes too big for him, but it was better than nothing and it covered his boxers, so that was good too. As he smoothed it down against his chest, he turned around to see Bokuto staring.  _ Oh god, what now?  _

‘Erm... can I help you?’ He asked formally- suddenly very aware of his bare, slender legs poking out from the shirt. Bokuto blushed deeply, but didn’t bother to hide it at all. He merely supplied a cheeky grin.

‘No, it’s nothing. You just look good that’s all, but I’m sure you get that a lot.’ He said sheepishly. Akaashi raised his eyebrows. He didn’t know why he was surprised that Bokuto was being so forward, he was the most over-the-top human he had ever met. Still, he couldn’t help but feel a little taken aback. 

He must have taken too long to say something, because Bokuto started to stumble over his next words.   


‘Like, y’know, you’re wearing my t-shirt, and that’s cute! Not cute as in you look like a child, that’s weird. I mean I like you in my shirt! Not because you look bad in your clothes! Ahh...’ he trailed off, running a hand through his insane hair, clearly running out of things to say in his panic.  He was trying so hard.

‘I understand what you mean. Thank you, Bokuto-san.’ He said with a bow, feeling a slight blush creeping up his neck. Bokuto smiled brightly, and turned away to carry on getting ready for bed. 

Putting the strange interaction behind him, Akaashi hopped to the top bunk and rolled out his thin mattress and ugly, stripped blanket, collapsing onto it face first as soon as it was straight. He never knew something so simple and- quite frankly-  _ shit _ , could also feel so good.  _ Go figure. _ After the day he had just had, he reckoned even a cheese grater would make a comfy pillow. Face down in the mattress, he listened to his cellmate shuffle around. It seemed like he was pacing. He was perfectly fine all of two minutes ago, what could possibly be wrong? He told himself he wouldn’t get involved, because although Bokuto had shown no signs of hostility, there was still time. It was only their first night as cellmates. However, the scuffing of his feet was beginning to get on his last nerve. He sat up crossed legged and looked down at Bokuto, who was indeed pacing. 

‘Bokuto-san, is everything okay?’ He asked simply, not wanting to seem too overbearing. Bokuto was staring at the floor, his hair deflating with him as he sighed.  _How was that even possible?_ Akaashi couldn’t help himself from continuing. ‘Earlier you said that I wasn’t alone here. Well, neither are you. You’re kind of stuck with me I’m afraid.’ He was only being honest. They really were about to share the rest of their lives together, in the small space that confined them; sharing a toilet, a sink. There wasn’t really much that they were going to be able to hide. Bokuto lifted his head up at his words, and Akaashi saw him perk up a little, flashing a tame smile his way. 

‘Thanks, Akaashi.’ He whispered. Akaashi had to do a double take at his words. Did he just say his name correctly? That had to mean progress in itself, and it made him feel warm inside. Who would have thought that someone pronouncing his name right would do that? His mind took him back to the prisoner from the bus that fist bumped his friend through the fence, and wondered if it was a correct moment for such things. He figured he should just go for it. He reached his softly clenched fist down from where he sat on the bunk, and blankly waited for Bokuto’s response. The latter then fully recovered from his slump at the sight of this, and knocked his fist against Akaashi’s with his usual upbeat personality back. 

‘You really are the best, ‘kashi!’ He shouted, beaming up at his cellmate.  There it is.  ‘Maybe I’ll talk to you about it tomorrow at work or something.’

At the raise of his voice, a small guard with messy black hair and glasses poked his head through the door.

‘It’s almost lights out, so maybe keep the volume down, okay?’ He asked politely with a bright smile, gripping his clipboard tightly in his hands. He looked kind of nervous to Akaashi, so he was obviously new. 

‘Hey hey hey, you’re that new guard!’ Bokuto yelled, equally as loud as before. The guard winced and fumbled around with his clipboard, clearly searching for something. From Akaashi’s vantage point, he could see a simple layout of the cells, marked with what must be the inmate’s names and such. The guard was scanning the page, obviously looking for their information. Akaashi cleared his throat, pulling the guards attention up to him. 

‘I assume you’re looking for our names. I’m Akaashi Keiji, and this is Bokuto Koutaro.’ He said in his usual neutral tone and serious expression. The guard looked terrified. He could see how he was trying to keep his body from trembling. ‘You should relax, I  _ think _ I speak for us both when I say we won’t hurt you.’ The guard squeaked a little, and stepped back.  _ Smooth, Akaashi.  _ As he backed up, he bumped into another guard. The one from the bus earlier, Ukai. The latter put his hands on the smaller guard’s shoulders, and frowned at the pair in the cell. 

‘What did you say to him, weirdos?’ He asked, voice gruff. Obviously something to do with his intense smoking habit, Akaashi thought- he could smell the smoke on him from four feet away. Bokuto puffed his chest out and placed his hands on his hips. 

‘Actually, I didn’t say anything. It was ‘kashi that scared him off!’ Bokuto supplied. A beat of silence followed, and he slapped a hand over his mouth like he just told everyone a secret. He looked up at his cellmate, and mumbled an apology. Akaashi shrugged, and addressed the new guard. 

‘Sorry, I was just trying to be helpful.’ He admitted, glancing to the side. The smaller guard sighed, and stood forward again. 

‘That’s okay, I know that. I’m just a little jumpy.’ He admitted, rubbing the back of his neck.  _ Ah, you’re in the right job then.  _ Ukai laughed. 

‘Come on Takeda, it’s lights out now so let’s leave them to it. Bokuto, keep the damn volume down, yeah?’ He quipped, before stalking out of the cell, followed closely by Takeda, who stopped to bow to them, and bid them a goodnight before closing the door and locking it. A beat of silence followed, and Akaashi’s inner voice broke through the barriers holding it back. 

‘I suppose every jail needs a mother figure.’ He mumbled, eyes still on the door. He shouldn’t have said anything. It made Bokuto burst out in manic laughter, only to be followed up by a loud bang on the door from Ukai. 

‘Bokuto what the hell did I JUST say to you? Now, go to bed! It’s lights out.’ And with that, the only light in the room blinked out. 

This was it. His first night in prison. All alo-  before he could finish his thought, he heard Bokuto hit his head on the bunk below him, clearly estimating the height wrong. He heard him curse under his breath, and it reminded Akaashi that no, perhaps he wasn’t so alone after all. 

——- ——-

‘Hey, ‘kashi. Wake up, it’s morning.’ Bokuto whispered, mere inches away from Akaashi’s face. As the latter opened his eyes groggily, it took him a minute or so to realise how close they really were. When it finally hit him, he widened his eyes and hid under the blanket as a bright blush spread across the whole of his face. He knew Bokuto was kind of clueless, but did he seriously have no boundaries whatsoever? Well, apparently not, because Bokuto then grabbed the covers and flung them to the floor, a laugh following his actions. ‘Come on, get up roomie! After breakfast, you gotta come with me for work. I usually get mail duty, so you’ll be learning from the master!’ He explained excitedly, finally stepping away from the bunk to allow Akaashi to actually move and get changed. Akaashi considered this for a moment.  Why wouldn’t they just assign him any old job?  Just as he was about to ask, Bokuto answered his unspoken question.

‘I kind of, sort of asked Ukai in the middle of the night to put you with me for today. I couldn’t sleep with the thought of you being alone on your first full day so...’ he trailed off, feeling bashful. Akaashi opened his mouth to answer, when the sound of the door unlocking filled the cell, and the door swung open, revealing none other than Ukai. 

‘Come on weirdos, breakfast time. Oh, and Bokuto? You owe me for this. I’m having to pull a double shift just for your stupid request.’ He said, rolling his eyes. Bokuto sent him a thumbs up.

‘Don’t worry, man. I’ll pay for your cigarettes for the next two weeks....’ He ensured him, putting his hands into the pockets of his thick, grey jacket that sat over the top of his jumpsuit, and strode over to the guard, his eyes scrunched up as he smiled. Ukai hummed expectantly, and raised his eyebrows. Bokuto scoffed like an angsty teen. ‘...and I’ll bullshit how great you are to the newbie guard too, yes.’  Intriguing , Akaashi thought to himself as he strapped the Velcro on his shoes tighter and looked to Bokuto’s jacket. He had to get himself some extra clothing, with winter slowly approaching it would indeed be wise. 

Ukai punched Bokuto lightly on the shoulder.

‘Thanks man, he’ll be watching over the cafeteria this morning with Daichi, but I’ll be in the cells so that’s your chance. Anyways, get your asses down there. You’ve got work in commissary for three hours after that.’ He informed the two of them, and walked off. Bokuto whined loudly at this as he followed him out of the cell. 

‘Commissary sucks though!’ He complained loudly, earning him a rough poke in the arm from Ukai’s baton. 

‘You got what you wanted, and that was work time with the new kid, so shut up and deal with it.’ He said, walking away to open up the other cells. Bokuto pouted, and turned back to Akaashi, who stood at the entrance to their cell.

‘Shall we, Bokuto-san?’ He asked, gesturing to the stairway. He nodded enthusiastically, and chatted constantly on their way to the cafeteria. 

Akaashi couldn’t help but feel cold. It was only autumn time, but the greyness of the prison didn’t sit well with him. He felt like he was on a battleship in the middle of the ocean, headed to war and to never return. The walls were grey, the thick cell doors were grey, and the concrete beneath his shoes was grey. It was almost too much for him to bare, contrasted against the ugly orange jumpsuits everyone sauntered around in. Even the damn jackets they were allowed to wear during the colder weather were the same colour! The entire atmosphere screamed depressing, but he supposed he wouldn’t be feeling much else, even if the walls had rainbows painted on them. 

Bokuto’s deafening voice resounded through Akaashi’s head as they rounded the corner to the cafeteria. He was animatedly explaining the dream he had last night in quite some detail, but Akaashi had tuned most of it out as they walked from the cells. He didn’t mean to, but he was focused on his surroundings. Like right now, it was insanely busy. Most inmates were packed in to receive their breakfast and there was a scarce amount of seats available, but the pair joined the queue regardless. This time, Bokuto gently pushed the smaller male to stand in front of him. Akaashi looked at him feeling a little stunned, and he shrugged in response, carrying on his exaggerated dream story. 

Once they had their food- a bowl of plain cereal, a juice box and an apple- they made their way over to Kuroo and Kenma’s table. Conveniently there were two seats left, as the inmates from the shower room had decided to join them. Bokuto sat on the end of the bench next to his best friend- who put him in a headlock to ruffle his owl hair once seated- and Akaashi sat opposite Bokuto, next to Oikawa. The latter rested his cheek in his palm as he gazed at Akaashi with an intense glare, almost like he was trying to figure him out. After a few minutes of his staring getting ignored, he sighed loudly and lolled his weight onto his friend on the other side of him. 

‘Iwa-chan, you still think I’m the prettiest here don’t you?’ He grumbled, a pout set firmly on his delicate features. Iwaizumi rolled his eyes, and shoved the stroppy man off his shoulder with a grunt. 

‘Shut it Crappykawa. Besides, it’s not hard in this place, everyone looks like shit on a daily basis.’ He shrugged, shoving a spoonful of cereal into his mouth and chewing aggressively. Oikawa gasped, and beamed at his words, his eyes flying open.

‘So you do think I am! Awh, my Iwa-chan is so romantic!’ He said happily, nuzzling himself into his (boyfriend’s?) side. Iwaizumi merely rolled his eyes again. He carried on eating his breakfast angrily, but left Oikawa to lean on him this time around. Akaashi could have sworn he saw a light blush grace his neck, but he hid it well behind the collar of his jumpsuit that stood up.  The bad boy look, he reminded himself, almost snorting at the amusing thought. 

Everyone sat and ate breakfast in relative silence, save for Bokuto and Kuroo arguing over who- out of the two of them- could run for a longer period of time.  _Really?_ The former huffed and turned to Akaashi. 

‘You think I would win, right ‘kaashi?’ He asked loudly, even though they sat less than a metre away from each other. Akaashi glanced between the two friends opposite him as he considered his options. He decided that it came down to agility, not strength. With Bokuto clearly the stronger of the two, but not necessarily the most athletic, he reckoned the rooster-haired man would have a better shot.

‘No. I actually think Kuroo-san would win.’ He said, scooping some cereal up on his spoon. It took a lot of effort to chew- it seemed a little stale. Bokuto’s jaw dropped open at the betrayal, and Kuroo laughed loudly next to him, clutching at his stomach.  He sounded like a hyena.

‘Ha! Unlucky, man. I guess your man doesn’t take you for much of an athlete.’ Kuroo breathed between bouts of his laughter, still hugging his stomach. Bokuto frowned. 

‘Agashiiii, you’re supposed to be on my side!’ He huffed, crossing his arms over his chest, clearly in a mood. Akaashi merely stared at him with slight confusion, the hyena’s laughter still echoing off the walls. _Why was he supposed to be on his side, exactly?_ Not to mention Kuroo just referred to him as ‘Bokuto’s man’. Like, what the fuck? Had he missed something maybe? 

Suddenly, like a personality switch had been flicked, Bokuto perked up. You could almost see the lightbulb appear above his head. He stood up, collecting his empty tray in his hands as he skipped off to the side of the room without a word. Akaashi frowned. He was suddenly very aware he was on his own now that his cellmate wasn’t at the table. Sure, the other prisoners at the table were acquaintances, but he didn’t know them half as well as he did Bokuto, even if it was just his second day. He figured he may as well take this opportunity to branch out a little. Not wanting to make anyone that he was sat with suspicious whilst he dug for information, he decided on asking about someone not currently present. 

‘Kuroo-san, do you happen to know much about Tendo Satori?’ He asked innocently, sipping the last of his milk from it’s carton. The clang of a spoon being dropped heavily in a bowl sounded, and Akaashi saw Kenma jump to his feet and stand there with actual fear in his eyes. Iwaizumi and Oikawa also looked ridged in their seats, the latter still leaning his head on the other man.  _ A curious turn of events.  _ Kuroo looked up at Kenma, and stroked a hand gently down his arm, pulling a little at his small wrist to get him to take a seat again. As he did so, the taller inmate whipped his head around and narrowed his eyes at Akaashi. 

‘No, I don’t, and for your own good, I suggest you don’t mention him again. Like seriously, don’t go there. I know what you’re trying to do, Akaashi, and it’s a dangerous game that you don’t want to play.’ He warned, gritting his teeth, his hand still wrapped around Kenma’s wrist, his thumb absentmindedly rubbing circles on his soft looking skin. Akaashi nodded once, and began eating his apple as a distraction.  What could have happened with Kenma?  He thought about what else he could say to disperse the tense atmosphere sitting in the air, and decided to bite the bullet and ask about someone else instead. 

‘Perhaps, Hinata Shoyo then? I would like to introduce myself properly.’ Kenma narrowed his large cat-like eyes at him. 

‘What do you  really want with Shoyo?’ He asked, his tone dripping with suspicion and distrust. Akaashi could see he was gripping his spoon tightly. Before he could reply, Oikawa had sat up straight next to him and poked him in the arm. 

‘Someone is awful interested in things that don’t concern him, huh? Well, I don’t blame you. I’m the same! Chibi-chan is my cellmate. He and stupid Kageyama came in together last year, supposedly involved in a string of hit and runs together.’ He rambled, tongue loose as he fed information to Akaashi. Which gave him a juicy idea to get ahead. Before he could say more, Iwaizumi slapped him across the back of the head.

‘Shut the hell up, Shittykawa! You shouldn’t be gossiping, idiot.’ He growled under his breath. Oikawa shrugged.

‘You know it’s what I do best, Iwa-chan!’ He said happily, throwing up another peace sign and turning to Akaashi again, lowering his voice. ‘I think we’re going to be good friends, Aka-chan.’  _ Great, so he had pretty much found a source of information with minimal effort. Also, another person who refused to say his name correctly apparently.  _ He wanted to ask more, but Bokuto chose this moment to return to the table, tray now gone from his grasp. 

‘Kashi, you’re done with food right?’ He asked, swooping to pick up the tray in front of Akaashi before he could protest or even answer his question. ‘I’m done chatting the newbie guard up for Ukai, so let’s get to commissary.’ Akaashi stood from his place at the cramped table, and made to move away only to be stopped by Oikawa grabbing his elbow, non-too-gently either. He frowned down at the inmate, who merely quirked a smile up at him.

‘I’ll see you around, Aka-chan. I will visit you later, maybe?’ He asked, tilting his head to the side. Something behind his eyes set Akaashi on edge a little, almost like he was planning something devious. He nodded his reply, and followed Bokuto closely over to the tray clearing station. Although he now had a potential lead for information, he still needed to be weary of Oikawa. He didn’t know the first thing about him, apart from his mysterious relationship Iwaizumi, and even that was uncertain. He would just have to figure that out later when he was in his cell, and hope Bokuto wasn’t around to interfere. The prospect of being alone with another inmate who wasn’t Bokuto made him feel reasonably nervous, but he had to get used to it sooner or later, and he preferred to just get it over with and go with the former. 

Once Bokuto had dropped the tray off, they made their way out of the cramped cafeteria to walk to commissary. On the short walk over, Bokuto explained how it all worked- albeit terribly- and slung an arm around his shoulders now and then, to steer him away from colliding with other prisoners. 


	3. The Proposition

Once they were in the commissary room, Bokuto let Akaashi control the desk, and he would find the items on the shelves and bring them over. All Akaashi had to do, was listen to what the inmate on the other side of the glass wanted, and find it on the system to tell them the pricing and availability. They had fingerprints connected to accounts with the money they earned from the jobs they carried out, and for family on the outside to dump money into. Kind of like a bank account. What sucked for people like Akaashi- who had no family or friends on the outside- was the only money they could accumulate would be from the jobs they did on the inside, and they didn’t get much per hour. 

He sat on a hard, wooden stool behind a pane of glass. An old looking computer sat to his left, and a white keyboard with a few missing keys in front of him. Looking around he noticed more grey walls, and two rows of shelves running down the centre of the room, where Bokuto had situated himself. He was walking up and down looking at all the stuff, clearly getting distracted by the different items sitting upon the shelves. Akaashi sighed irritably at the sight of him picking various things up and almost dropping them multiple times in a row, before turning around and staring out of the glass window, waiting for the first inmate to approach. It was certainly going to be a long four hours. 

After an hour had passed with just four or five inmates needing something, Akaashi had the hang of the system and felt confident with his job. It was boring, but he didn’t really mind. He needed to rack up some cash in his account if he wanted a jacket for himself for starters. He was certainly starting to feel the chill of the air now, after all. Another thing that was beginning to get on his nerves was the ticking clock. Whenever Bokuto wasn’t spouting nonsense from behind the shelves, it was the only thing Akaashi had to focus on. It reminded him of how slowly this was dragging along, and it tested his patience with each tick. He grew even more grateful for Bokuto’s constant blabber as time went by. It was an okay distraction from the annoying clock, he had decided. 

Before he could stop himself, he shivered harshly, his teeth chattering a little involuntarily. He guessed they didn’t actually have to supply him with warmer clothing, especially not yet- seen as it was still just autumn- but it was inconvenient to say the least. He hadn’t heard Bokuto approach him from behind, until he felt a warmth envelope his shoulders softly. A jacket hung from his small frame, and he turned to face Bokuto, shock evident on his face at the sight of his cellmate’s expression. The taller of the pair grinned awkwardly, and rubbed the back of his neck. 

‘I saw you shiver, so figured you could use that.’ He explained, embarrassment washing over his features as he avoided Akaashi’s intense gaze. The latter wasn’t entirely sure what he should do or say- he quickly ran through the options in his head.

_ If I return it, he might get upset- or worse- mad.  _

_ If I keep it, it might seem rude or invasive, whether he offered it or not.  _

He decided with the latter, suddenly aware of how quiet the room had gotten. He bowed his head a little. 

‘Thank you, Bokuto-san. I appreciate it.’ He said simply, wrapping the large jacket around him a little more as he turned back to the computer screen,unsure of what else to do or say. He figured actually putting his arms in the sleeves would be a little too... intimate. He almost heard the smile form on Bokuto’s lips, as the sound of his scuffing footsteps faded away a little, signalling his return to the shelves. Perhaps the remaining hours of his shift wouldn’t be so bad after all. 

——- ——-

Once they were finished with their shift, they headed to the cafeteria for lunch. There wasn’t many people around, but as they made their way over to the food queue, Akaashi made eye contact with Tendo Satori leaning against the far wall, and sighed as the curious man began making his way over to them. He felt a little dumb, but he tugged gently at Bokuto’s sleeve to subtly get his attention. Feeling the tug, Bokuto turned to face him with a grin, only for it to sink into a scowl as he saw Tendo approach.

‘Why, isn’t this interesting, hah? New fish is wearing his cellmate’s jacket! How romantic...’ He swooned, literally turning around and trust falling into Akaashi, only for him to step away and let him fall to the floor. He had never felt so unimpressed in his life, forcing down the growing habit of rolling his eyes as Tendo laughed like a mad man on the floor. Akaashi spared a glance at Bokuto without moving his head. He was glaring at the idiot rolling around on the ground, a quiet growl sounding from within his throat.

Bokuto was about to pull Akaashi away, but Tendo grabbed his ankle to root him to the spot. He tutted. 

‘I didn’t say you can go anywhere, little fishy.’ He glared, laying on his back. Before Akaashi could answer however, he heard a whistle sound behind him. He craned his neck in time to see a guard he hadn’t spoken to before stalk over to them. He had short dark hair, and he clearly worked out. He was... well, fit. His uniform was perfect, hat and all. 

‘For god sake Satori, get the hell up. What are you, 12?’ He asked as Tendo sprang up from the floor, before adding, ‘actually, don’t answer that. I can’t be dealing with you today. If you’re done with eating, get to your cell. Now.’ The guard said firmly, hands on his hips. Tendo looked at him with half lidded eyes and grinned. 

‘Of course Daichi-san, you know me- always happy to...  _ follow the rules. _ _’_ He commented, putting emphasis on his last words, and followed up with, ‘oh, and how is Sugawara these days? I’ve seen you visiting his cell quite often recently as it happens.’ He finished, hands in his pockets and waiting for Daichi’s reaction. The latter went red and looked away slightly. 

‘I- I have no idea what you’re talking about Satori, but if you don’t get your ass back to your cell right now, I will throw you in solitary myself.’ Daichi reprimanded, clenching his fists at his sides, a nerve clearly being struck. Akaashi found himself squinting at the interaction between the two men in curiosity, before a firm grasp on his arm pulled him away, and a tray suddenly forced into his grip. He snapped his attention up to Bokuto who looked uncharacteristically nervous, his weight shifting from one foot to the other. He had pretty much squared up to the guy yesterday, why was he on edge all of a sudden? 

‘Bokuto-san?’ He questioned, taking in the lines knitting Bokuto’s eyebrows together and frowning himself. He didn’t answer. They merely collected their food and headed to their usual table. The others weren’t around, so it was just them. 

As they took their seats- right next to each other, to Akaashi’s surprise, considering the amount of room on table- Bokuto’s mood didn’t let up. An exaggerated pout was set on his face. Akaashi sighed, and turned to fully face his companion, straddling the bench as he did so. He started considering his options once again about asking him what was wrong.

_ Asking him directly... he could get defensive. _

_ Ignoring him... he could get sad. _

_ Bantering... yeah, maybe not. _

He decided to go with his first option, and just get it out of the way. 

‘Bokuto-san, what’s wrong?’ He asked, tilting his head a little to better see his fellow inmate’s face. Most of it was darkened by a shadow, cast mainly from his drooping hair. He could almost feel Bokuto deflating next to him, his mood sitting heavily in the air between them. As the silence dragged on with no reply, Akaashi was about to give up and begin eating, but Bokuto tilted his head to face him, a small, uncertain smile tugging at the corners of his lips- his eyes downcast.

‘I’m okay, ‘kaashi.’ _It’s_ _Akaashi_. ‘I just don’t trust Tendo.’ He said, voice barely above a whisper. ‘I... I don’t like it when he talks to you, either.’ He admitted, looking away in clear embarrassment and pouting. Akaashi’s steady breathing faltered as his heart skipped a little, forgetting the mispronunciation of his name again.  _What had he meant by that?_ Before he could ask, however, someone ruffled his hair from behind him. He span around in his seat to look at the newcomer. It was Oikawa. 

‘Aka-chan!’ _Akaashi_. ‘When you’re done with lunch, come visit me in my cell. It’s number 12 on the ground floor- I just wanted to talk to you about something interesting.’ He said mysteriously. Akaashi raised his eyebrows, but nodded in response. This could be his chance to understand some of the idiots around here, after all. A smirk appeared on Oikawa’s features, and he winked. ‘Oh, and nice jacket by the way.’ He added, before sauntering away with his hands in his pockets. Akaashi ignored his remark, and turned to Bokuto again.

‘What about Oikawa? What’s his deal?’ He questioned, wanting a second opinion on the situation. Bokuto shrugged, still in his emo mode. 

‘He’s okay. Mainly a gossip, but he has Iwaizumi with him 24/7, so no one can touch him. Iwa is a protective guy.’ He mumbled, poking at his cheese sandwich. Akaashi sighed heavily- he had to lift this weird mood somehow...

‘Bokuto-san, would you mind coming with me to see Oikawa after this? I would appreciate your company.’ It was a shot in the dark, but his cell mate definitely seemed like the kind of guy to need constant praise and acknowledgment, so he figured making him feel needed was worth it. Alternatively, he would be seen as too clingy, and get a punch in the face, but seeing as Bokuto had chosen to sit right next to him at the empty table- just for starters- it seemed unlikely. Bokuto’s pupils grew large, almost completely cancelling out the stark yellow colour of his irises. He was positively gleaming with happiness all of a sudden. Akaashi could literally imagine rays of light and a halo illuminating his entire being, but shook his thoughts away, mentally slapping himself for being dumb.

‘’Kaaashiiiiiiiii, you really mean that?’ He practically squealed, throwing his arms in the air in excitement, earning a few questioning looks from nearby tables. Akaashi felt like he should cringe, but he felt strangely endeared towards his behaviour.  _ Why did Bokuto even care so much about what he thought? _ In response, he merely nodded, and turned back around to sit and eat the rest of his lunch, his cell mate radiating positivity next to him, bouncing up and down in his seat. 

——- ——-

After finishing their food, Bokuto led the way to Oikawa’s cell on the ground floor. It was free time now until yard time in a few hours, unless you had to work. The cell block was bustling with inmates popping in and out of each other’s cells, so Akaashi stuck close to Bokuto’s side, the jacket still hugging his shoulders. 

As they approached their destination, Akaashi could see a large movie poster on the wall inside- promoting ‘Alien 2’- and a large pile of books about space sat on a small desk. Oikawa himself was reclining himself on the bottom bunk, eyes closed and hands behind his head. Bokuto slammed his hand against the door several times, before walking in like he owned the place. Oikawa barely moved, and kept his eyes shut. 

‘Why would you bring him along, Aka-chan?’ He said, exasperated. _It’s Akaas... ugh, whatever._ He slowly sat up, and opened his eyes to see Bokuto grabbing a book from the aforementioned pile- thankfully from the top- and plonking himself down on the floor next to a... plastic lava lamp?  _ Okay, why was that allowed, of all things? _ He continued, albeit with a pout. ‘I even managed to convince Iwa-chan to leave me alone for a while!’ He said, crossing his arms in a huff. Akaashi shrugged lightly and leant his back against the doorframe, also crossing his arms. 

‘Sorry, Oikawa-san. He was feeling down so I invited him along. Will that be a problem?’ 

Oikawa sighed dramatically and rolled his eyes, glancing over at how captivated Bokuto was with the book he held. 

‘Nah, we can still talk. I’m sure he wouldn’t even be against what I’m about to propose anyways...’ he trailed off, a finger tapping at his lips in thought, his tongue sticking out ever so slightly. A pregnant silence filled the air, as Akaashi waited for him to continue. ‘...I say, we feed each other information. I can see you’re a smart guy.’ He said, looking directly at the smaller inmate. Oikawa then glanced at Bokuto, whom was still enamoured by the book, as he considered his next words. ‘Just know that if you ever betray me and this generous alliance, I’ll have Iwa-chan have a few... words with you.’ He said, a weirdly innocent smile crossing his perfect features, cocking his head to the side. It looked almost evil to Akaashi. 

_Well, fuck it._ _I got what I wanted, even if it came with a side of death threats_ _._ His brain supplied, helpfully. Akaashi nodded once, and pushed himself off the door frame to stand up straight. 

‘Okay. Perhaps we could start with you filling me in on a few things?’ He asked, feeling brave. Oikawa grinned. 

‘Of course, Aka-chan. What do you want to know?’ 

Akaashi walked forwards so that he was closer to his fellow inmate, and spoke in a low voice, so they weren’t overheard. 

‘I need to know about Tendo Satori. I can see he is... strange, but why does he terrify everyone so much?’ He questioned, narrowing his eyes in thought. An awkward silence followed this, and he could feel the tense vibes that Bokuto was irradiating from next to him on the floor. The awkwardness was so thick, he could have sworn you could cut it with a knife. Oikawa sighed heavily, and crossed his legs on his bunk, patting the space next to him, silently inviting Akaashi to sit down too. The latter did so, and perched himself on the edge delicately, hands placed on his knees. However, before Oikawa could even open his mouth to speak, Bokuto gently threw the book to his side and stood up. His hands were placed on his hips, and a pout appeared on his face once more. 

‘We shouldn’t be talking about... _that_.’ He said briefly, eyes shooting to the door to check for intruders. Akaashi frowned, his fingers beginning to twitch in annoyance. This was driving him mad. He needed to know why everyone was so scared of this man. That was just for starters too. Oikawa cleared his throat.

‘Kou-chan, he needs to know sooner or later. Maybe go stand outside and keep watch whilst I explain, yeah?’ He suggested, strangely soft for his character. Akaashi looked up at Bokuto, who seemed completely torn, but defiantly shook his head. 

‘I won’t leave ‘kaashi alone.’ He insisted, arms folded tightly across his chest as he glared at Oikawa, who only glared back in defence. Akaashi face palmed. 

‘Bokuto-san, I’ll be fine. I promise. Please, wait outside. Cough if we should stop talking, yes? I’ll be okay.’ He said, running out of patience a little. Bokuto looked a little hurt, but nodded his head all the same, and stalked outside, stomping his feet a little. Oikawa giggled. 

‘He’s such a  child. ’ He laughed, covering his mouth. Akaashi turned to face him, with a serious look on his face. Oikawa’s smile faded, and he gave an understanding nod, proceeding with an explanation. ‘Okay. You understand he controls contraband at least, correct?’ Akaashi nodded in confirmation. ‘Right, good. Well, they say whoever runs the outside, runs the inside. That sort of thing. He has connections- big ones. I’m talking mafia-level, Aka-chan. People worry that if they piss Tendo off, their family will pay the price. Not just that, he has the ability to make your life insanely difficult in here, like it isn’t already hard enough.’ He explained, voice low and serious. The smaller inmate listened intently, literally sitting on the edge of his seat. ‘We all hear stories. We’ve all  _ seen _ things. We’ve all been caught up in his... actions, one way or another.’ He physically cringed at this, but carried on, in an even quieter voice. ‘I heard Kenma’s family home was burned down after he supposedly pissed Tendo off.’  _Ah, so that’s why he was triggered earlier._ ‘ Luckily no one was hurt, if what I hear is true, but... I mean, it can’t be a coincidence.  _ It can’t be. _ _’_ He muttered. Akaashi could almost see the gears turning in the other’s mind. ‘Yet, there’s never any evidence, and he  _ knows _ things. You’ll be talking in private one minute, and the next, Tendo knows everything you were saying. If you ask me, he’s just an incredibly good guesser or something... he reads people insanely well.’ He finished, shaking his head in frustration, shaking his brown locks loose from behind his ears. 

Akaashi squinted, thinking hard about how he was going to go about dealing with this Tendo character. Perhaps he could visit him and just bite the bullet as it were- fein some confidence. If he saw how ‘bold’ he is, he might leave him alone?  _Don’t be a dumbass, that would just make him more infatuated with you._ His inner monologue supplied. He supposed avoiding him was the easiest option... or he could just kill him. Not that he wanted to do that, but he would if he forced his hand. 

For now, he decided to focus on knowing more about other inmates. Perhaps the guy he is forced to cell share with for starters. He lowered his voice substantially more, and leant in a little closer to Oikawa.

‘What about Bokuto-san? He refuses to tell anyone what he did before ending up here.’ He stated, feeling a little bad talking about him when he was all but five feet away. Oikawa shrugged heavily.

‘Now  _ that _ is something I’d like to know about.’ He said, flicking finger guns toward him and winking,  again . Akaashi pinched himself to stop the eye roll he was feeling brimming on the surface. ‘If there’s anyone who can pull that info from him, it’s you, Aka-chan.’ He said, matter-of-factly. Akaashi’s brows flew up in surprise, and he subconsciously grabbed the material of his jumpsuit on his legs. Oikawa snorted. ‘I haven’t seen him so happy to be with someone since Kuroo arrived here a few years ago.’ He stage whispered behind his hand, earning a small blush from Akaashi. ‘All I know about him, is he got transferred here from a youth centre at the age of 18. He’s 24 now, and in for life. We can safely assume he killed someone at the very least, but given how mysterious he’s being about it... I just don’t know.’ He pouted, clearly dissatisfied with his lack of information. 

Akaashi went to press a little further, but heard Bokuto coughed loudly from outside, sounding like he was literally dying as he choked dramatically. Oikawa brightened up instantly at the sight of his ( _ boyfriend _ ?) walking into the cell, topless once more, and looking sweaty.  _ How wasn’t he cold? _ He must have been working out. Okay, that’s something else he had to know. Feeling brave as Bokuto followed Iwaizumi in, he asked. 

‘Are you guys dating? It’s driving me crazy.’ He admitted openly, noticing how Oikawa had stopped in his mid-jump towards Iwaizumi, arms open comically wide as he went for a hug. However, he stopped, and merely stood up straight, a hand stretching the back of his neck. Iwaizumi simply glared at Akaashi.

‘Are you insane? Me, date this guy? Funny. For starters he has no ass, so that’s a straight no from me, isn’t that right,  Flattycawa ?’ Iwaizumi teased, throwing a light slap across Oikawa’s butt. The latter blushed prettily, paired with a pouted. 

‘Iwa-chan, so mean!’ He whined loudly, skimming his eyes over the topless inmate before him all the same. A cheeky smile tugging at the corners of his lips, seeing the small beads of sweat roll down his chest. ‘Aka-chan, I hate to cut this short, but I have something I wanna talk to Iwa-chan about.’ He said, without removing his gaze from Iwaizumi once. The weird sexual tension that hung between them didn’t sit well with Akaashi- he suddenly felt extremely awkward. He didn’t need to be told twice- he’d rather not be around for whatever was about to occur- he hoped for Hinata’s sake he didn’t return to his cell for a while. He nodded, and jumped to his feet and took Bokuto by the cuff of his jumpsuit, pulling him along.  _Bold of you, _ his monologue supplied.  _Oh shut up._ Before he could make his escape however, Oikawa spoke up once more. 

‘Aka-chan.  He might be the king, but I’ll be the  _ great _ king soon enough.’ He insisted, as Akaashi glanced over his shoulder. Oikawa had his back to the door, his hands firmly on Iwaizumi’s hips, the latter’s eyes half lidded as he tugged at the other’s hair. Akaashi decided not to answer, and stalked off not wanting to see any more. 

As Bokuto stumbled behind him as he pulled him along, thoughts flew through his head at light speed. So him and Oikawa were now working together to gather information about inmates and goings on. He figured he should try his best to get a few more people to keep an ear open for him too- at least that was the goal. Also this Tendo guy was part of the mafia? He didn’t even know that was really a thing.  _ Fantastic, just my luck.  _ As he neared the stairs, he heard Bokuto complain behind him.

‘’Kaashi, wait uuuuup.’ He whined loudly as Akaashi took the first step up. He turned to face him, letting go of his cuff as he realised he was still holding onto it. He blushed, and looked to the side in embarrassment. Bokuto grinned. ‘Oh! It’s almost yard time! It’ll be your first one too, right?’ Akaashi opened his mouth to reply, but he carried on. ‘Right! So let’s go grab my spare jacket and we’ll head over!’ He suggested excitedly, practically jumping up and down as Akaashi looked down on him for once from a few inches above. The larger of the two was positively beaming up at him, and this time, he didn’t have to imagine the rays of light that bounced off his features. The sunlight coming through glass above them- from three levels up- caught the dust particles in the room, and that had never looked more enthralling to Akaashi. He shook his head, and smiled down at his cell mate before turning to head up the stairs. 

As they neared the top floor, with Bokuto rambling once more, Akaashi stopped in his tracks as he noticed Hinata leaving one of the cells further down the row, a harsh blush crossing his features. As he walked a little further out, someone from inside the cell grabbed his arm and pulled him back roughly. Kageyama.  _ So he killed someone... interesting.  _ He must have been the hitter in the hit and runs they were both involved in, he considered- for lack of a better term. He saw him whisper something in Hinata’s ear, deepening the smaller inmate’s blush even further.  _ Gross _ . 

As they neared their own cell, Kageyama briefly made eye contact with Akaashi’s icy stare, and let go of Hinata’s arm like he had been burnt.  _Not dating then._ The dark haired inmate glared at Akaashi, and stalked back into his cell, leaving Hinata standing on his own. He took this as an opportunity to at least warn him about the... activity, in his cell. 

‘Hinata, right?’ He asked, earning an enthusiastic nod from the small man as he approached. ‘I wouldn’t go back to your cell just yet, by the way.’ He warned. Hinata grimaced. 

‘Again? Ugh, I wanted to grab my jacket before yard time.’ He complained, throwing his head back, but standing straight once his eyes rested on Bokuto. ‘Bokuto sensei! I feel like I haven’t spoken to you in forever!’ He yelled despite being an arms length away as he jumped to an impressive height in the air out of pure excitement. Bokuto reached over and ruffled his hair.

‘Hey, Chibi-chan! How’s my star pupil?’ He asked equally as loud, matching his bubbly demeanour. Akaashi stood to the side with a deadpan expression fixed on his face.  _There’s two of them? Lord help me_ _._ However, he couldn’t help but feel a little endeared with the way Bokuto interacted with the younger inmate- it was cute. 

He decided to take that thought as a way out, and ducked into his cell. He needed to pull himself together when it came to Bokuto- it was beginning to get a little ridiculous with how he was feeling things around him- he was used to feeling nothing. It was almost too much for him to handle. At this point, Bokuto and Hinata walked into the cell, and threw themselves onto the bottom bunk. Leaning down to stick his hand underneath the bed, Bokuto bought out a thick book and sat it between the two of them. Sensing Akaashi’s silent question about what was happening right now, Bokuto looked up at him and grinned. 

‘I help Hinata with his reading! I’m not great at it myself or anything, but... I needed to help! He’s my little prodigy now!’ He said, sitting up straight and puffing his chest out proudly. Hinata beamed at him and patted his back.

‘You’re amazing at it, Bokuto-san!’ He encouraged, a huge grin taking over his soft features as he giggled. 

Akaashi couldn’t even pretend to be surprised. The fact Bokuto had taken a younger inmate under his wing was almost too...  _him_.  It really was the embodiment of who Bokuto was, he could tell, and it was only his second day. 

As he stood watching the two friends sat reading together, he couldn’t help but feel fascinated. Being alone for almost his whole life, having the chance to observe people’s behaviour was an experience. He wasn’t great at relationships himself, even just being friends with someone. He was blunt. To the point. He didn’t see the point in sugarcoating anything- it just prolonged the inevitability that something would snap eventually. May as well get it over with. 

He took a seat on the only chair in the room at the small desk that everyone had in their cells, and looked at what belongings Bokuto had for the first time. He saw a volleyball sitting underneath the table, and soft looking knee pads folded next to it.  Perhaps they were permitted sports every now and then?  He then noticed a large poster thatwas cello-taped to the wall above the desk, displaying the lead singer of a popular band in an almost suggestive pose. He hadn’t really noticed this until now. _Was... was Bokuto gay perhaps?_ With this thought, Akaashi’s brain started short circuiting. The poster wasn’t exactly innocent, so...  _what? What did this mean? _ He supposed he shouldn’t really be that surprised, seen as he had observed at least three sets of people who had the potential at being in a relationship, but... that hadn’t even occurred to him about Bokuto. Suddenly, the jacket around his shoulders felt even warmer. 

A tap at the door bought him back to the present, and he whipped his head around to see the guard from the cafeteria, Daichi, stood in the doorway. 

‘Come on guys, it’s yard time. Get yourselves out there.’ He said calmly, and heading back out straight away. Hinata shot up, and ran to the door. 

‘Thanks for the help Bokuto-san! I need to go grab my jacket. Cya!’ He yelled as he disappeared from view after receiving a thumbs up from Bokuto, who also stood up to grab himself his spare jacket. As he pulled it on, he watched Akaashi who hadn’t even moved yet. He was staring at the poster, deep in thought. Bokuto snickered, which pulled him back to reality, turning to look up at his cell mate from his seat. He raised questioning eyebrows, and Bokuto rubbed the back of his neck at his reaction. 

‘’Kashi, can I ask you a... personal question?’ He asked sheepishly, still rubbing his neck. Akaashi wasn’t so surprised at this, if he himself was anything to go on, it was only natural Bokuto wanted to know something about him, and nodded his confirmation. Bokuto sucked in a deep breath, and exhaled loudly. 

‘Are... are you gay? Or maybe bisexual? Or... Urm, like, what is your orientation, or like...’ he spluttered, stumbling over his words as he tried to dig himself out of a hole that Akaashi thought didn’t even exist to start with. He cleared his throat to get Bokuto’s attention, who stopped talking instantly, snapping his attention to him. 

‘I... I am gay. Yes. However, I would appreciate it if you kept that to yourself. I’m sure you understand, Bokuto-san.’ He said, giving him a pointed look. Bokuto gave a passionate nod, and clenched his fists in determination for his next words. 

‘So, have you ever had a boyfriend? Or...’ he asked, trailing off as he walked slowly towards the door. Akaashi stood up to follow him, also reaching the doorway so they could head to the yard. He supposed he may as well tell Bokuto about his past- this way he may feel more inclined to talk about his own life. Which he really wanted to know about. So, Akaashi nodded. 

‘Yes. I’ve only had one romantic relationship though, and it didn’t end well.’ He explained, waving his hand in dismissal as they left the cell, and began their decent down the steep staircase. Bokuto looked surprised at this, his facial expression telling Akaashi that he was silently asking for more information. He sighed, but continued all the same. ‘You remember what I said about how I ended up here, right?’ He asked, making sure his cell mate recalled his story from the other day. Bokuto nodded. ‘Well, the person I shot... he was my boyfriend.’ 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun duuuuuuuuuun
> 
> Also, for the record I never actually intended for Tendo to be a bad guy, but someone has to do it, right? Let’s be honest, he is a crazy person, a much as I love him😂🖤
> 
> Annnnnd, I’m sure it’s kind of obvious by now, but I have no idea how prisons actually work. Like, at all. I’m literally just winging it, so I’m sorry if you gotta expand your beliefs a lot😂


	4. Flashback 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A brief chapter on Akaashi’s past. How did he meet his now ex boyfriend?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is literally how Akaashi met his ex boyfriend. There is no Bokuaka in this chapter at all because of the flashback, but it’s quite short, and I’ll make it up to y’all in the next chapter I promise🙈🖤

_ Flashback: Akaashi _

_ A dull, rainy evening in November, found the rain falling from the heavens with no mercy. The world getting drenched in the tears of angels, as thunder cracked through the sky with malice. The evening drew near, time slowing down for no one. Puddles littered the streets and the wind blew harshly, whipping litter around like mother nature herself was raging. Akaashi loved it.  _

_ With the torrential weather outside causing havoc, he sat at his desk in the middle of his apartment, patiently waiting for his client to arrive. The bright flashes from the lightning outside, filtered through the open blinds of the only window in the large, open-plan room. He lived for the simple things in life. His studio apartment wasn’t anything special, per se, but it was nice enough. Also, the neighbourhood he lived in was less than friendly, but he did his best to make what he had bearable, and no one dared to bother him. Everyone knew what he was capable of, so they steered clear. Apart from the lovely elderly lady across the hall. Akaashi liked her- she often made him onigiri. _

_ He had his dark wooden desk pushed to the centre of the room, and his laptop sat upon it. He didn’t bother investing in a computer. If he ever had to do a runner, he would have to grab his laptop. It did have a shit tonne of evidence on it about his crimes after all. A couple of metres in front of said desk sat a small, black leather sofa. He didn’t have very much time to sit and watch the TV- on the wall opposite- so the sofa was almost untouched. His favourite part of the living area was his white fluffy sheep rug adorning the dark wooden floor, a sleek, black coffee table atop it. He especially liked the white pebbles he had added to his cast iron bowl that sat on the table. He was basically an interior designer now. He had pebbles. _

_ Behind him was his small, but functional kitchenette. It consisted of a couple of black marble counters, and a microwave and a kettle sitting atop them. Other than a sink dug into one of the counters and a small, black fridge/ freezer against the furthest wall, that was almost it. He didn’t cook enough to justify having a cooker, or even a stove. A small, white rack hung above the sink holding just one plate, bowl and one set of cutlery. He secretly found this hilarious. On the opposite side to the kitchen was a door leading to the bathroom. Simplicities.  _

_ Although he had a studio flat, his bedroom was on the balcony overlooking the living space. A spiral staircase to the right of him led up to it- the railings black as the night, with a matte finish.  _

_ He was expecting a client any time now, so he passed time by watching deep sea documentaries. Specifically deep sea. Land creatures, like lions, bored him to no end. He had always thought the sea was beautiful. Varying colours of blues, greens and blacks. The deeper you dive the darker it gets, and with darkness comes mystery, and also danger. He lived for it. It low-key reminded him of himself in some narcissistic way.  _

_ There was a firm knock at the door which snapped his attention away from the TV. He reached for the remote and turned the tv off, and proceeded to press play on his small speaker on the desk next to him. Some of his favourite classical music began playing- he wasn’t a fan of the silence that crept up on him whilst he worked with other people in the room.  _

_ He walked over to the door, checking the peephole before even touching the lock. A man with chin length, bleached blonde hair stood waiting on the other side. He had been expecting him. He unchained the door, and slid the lock open, stepping to the side to slide the door across. The man’s narrow eyes widened a little more at the sight of Akaashi, and he bowed his head in greeting looking a little flustered. Akaashi got that a lot, and it was exhausting. He rolled his eyes, and began moving back towards his desk. The man trailed after him with a little more confidence than before, taking strides across the room once the door was closed again.  _

_ As Akaashi took his seat at the desk, the man stood opposite him awkwardly. It was the first time they were meeting, after talking on the (burner) phone. Naturally Akaashi had done some internet stalking of the guy to see what he could pull up, but only now was he realising how attractive the guy was. ‘No, stop it, behave.’ His brain warned, pulling his attention back to the man. He looked him over as he considered his options. The man basically needed to disappear. Akaashi didn’t ask many questions as to why- the less he knew about his fake ID clients was actually better. The police couldn’t pry for information if he had none, after all. He only gathered intel on the unfortunate souls he blackmailed anyway.  _

_ After what felt like an eternity of Akaashi just looking him over, the man started to fidget. He was clearly becoming a little bored as he waited. Those narrow eyes of his flashing a yellow/ brown colour in the light from the thunderstorm, pulling Akaashi in. All too suddenly, Akaashi stood up and crossed his arms, still looking him over. He was a few inches shorter than himself, and wore tight, blue jeans, a camouflage jacket, and a large black duffel bag slung over one shoulder. Akaashi cleared his throat. _

_ ‘I trust you have bought the money?’ He questioned, raising an eyebrow and looking at the bag. The man smirked. _

_ ‘Nah, it’s a dead body.’ He deadpanned, looking up through half lidded eyes. Akaashi sighed, and pinched the bridge of his nose. He didn’t have time for stupid jokes. The man chuckled to himself, and slid the bag off his shoulder, dumping it in front of his host. ‘I’m kidding, man. Of course I bought it, it’s all there.’ He insisted, giving the bag a kick for food measure. Akaashi hummed.  _

_ ‘I will trust that it is, but remember, I’ll be the only guy who can find you once you disappear. I can easily reverse that.’ He deadpanned, pushing the bag under his desk with his foot without breaking eye contact. The man nodded once, and gulped. ‘We’ll also have to burn your clothes.’ He said, hardened expression unfaltering as he headed towards the bathroom door, turning around once he realised he wasn’t being followed. He raised his eyebrows.  _

_ ‘Well, let’s go. We should start with cutting and dying your hair, and perhaps giving you a facial piercing.’ He suggested, one hand on his hip. The man looked taken aback, and Akaashi rolled his eyes. ‘Distinct changes to your appearance for the new ID? Unless you want to make it easy for the cops to find you.’ He jabbed, ignoring the hurt look on the other’s face. He opened the bathroom door. _

_ ‘Lucky for you, you’re quite plain. Easy to alter. Now let’s go.’ He instead, inviting the man inside. He looked a little offended and looked like he wanted to argue, but instead dragged his feet over, as he made his way into the bathroom and followed in by his host.  _

——- ——-

_ After a few hours of cutting hair, developing dye and sorting nose piercings, Akaashi stalked out of the bathroom, leaving the man inside to shower off the colour. He collapsed into his desk chair, and began work on the details of the ID. He could get that part over with relatively fast- it was the printing that took such a long time. A few hours at least. He allowed his calming, classical music to fill his head as he worked and waited for his client to emerge. _

_ A little while later, the bathroom door opened, dragging Akaashi’s gaze to it just as the man walked out with a towel slung loosely around his waist. Akaashi blinked once, attempting to clear his vision. What a transformation! His client now had ear length, dirty blonde hair, and his septum pierced, along with three upper helix piercings on his right ear. Akaashi had pretty much insisted on that- he had always wanted to try it out, and the man seemed happy enough for him to go ahead, which he appreciated. He seemed quite resilient to the pain too. The piercings and hair colour suited him very well, and Akaashi was admiring his work, before his eyes slipped a little lower to shamelessly look at his bare chest. He was well toned. Not muscled, or even built in any way, but there was certainly a firm look to his physique. The man wiggled his eyebrows. _

_ ‘Like what you see, huh?’ He teased, giving Akaashi a twirl with a smirk across his sharp features. He received a pointed look in return, and the latter turned himself to face his laptop. The man laughed, and waited for Akaashi to answer.  _

‘ _Just go and change into the clothes I’ve left next to the stairs over there.’ He instructed, as he finished the last part of the ID. The man shrugged, and walked over to the bag. Akaashi could almost hear his thoughts over his music. Loud thinkers annoyed him. Looking through the bag, the man pulled the items out one by one._

_ ‘How did you know what kind of size I was? We haven’t met until now, so I don’t really get how you could just guess that or whatever.’ He rambled, pulling a plain black T-shirt over his head. Akaashi sighed, and hit print on the laptop. Finally finished. He swirled around in his seat, a deadpan expression sitting on his face. _

_ ‘I stalked you on the internet.’ He said simply, with no shame whatsoever. The man snorted in amusement, and took hold of the bag with the rest of the clothes in, walking towards the bathroom to change. ‘Put your old clothes into the bag when you’re done. I’ll burn them in the morning.’ He called over, just as the man closed the door behind him.  _

_ Akaashi involuntarily yawned, loudly. He got to his feet and entered the kitchen to grab some food. He supposed he could give up one of his many pot noodles to his visitor, and proceeded to boil the kettle.  _

_ After a few more minutes, the noodles were done, and the stranger walked out of the bathroom once more. He was dressed in the aforementioned black T-shirt, some light grey joggers, and brown combat boots. Akaashi blinked slowly once again, flicking his steely eyes up and down the man in front of him. Before he could say anything, Akaashi picked up one of the noodle cups, and handed it over without a word. The man looked a little startled, but took the food all the same. Akaashi turned around to grab them each a fork, before realising he only had one. ‘God damn my hilarious sense of humour.’ His brain supplied, before he grabbed the fork and spoon, handing the fork over to his client. He didn’t usually feed anyone, as they usually came earlier. The man accepted, and gave Akaashi a puzzled look, as he began shovelling his noodles with his spoon- as best he could- into his mouth. Before he could stop himself it seemed, the stranger began laughing, arm wrapped around his stomach, still clutching the fork.  _

_ ‘Wow, I feel honoured to be the fork bearer.’ He joked, doubling over whilst still holding his cup of noodles level. Akaashi pouted, and made his way over to his desk again, flopping onto the chair with a small huff. The man’s laughter trailed off eventually, and he perched against the side of the desk as he ate, but speaking with mouthfuls of food. _

_ ‘Now- now- dunt strop, I-thought- it wuz- cute.’ He managed, still adding more food to his mouth. Akaashi gave him a disapproving look, and continued to spoon up his noodles- with great difficulty. He felt a small blush form at the base of his neck, and subconsciously snuggled deeper into his hoodie. He enjoyed... working from home **,** as it were. He was his own boss, made a tonne of money for little to no effort, and got to wear whatever he wanted. Granted, he was breaking the law, but what the police didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them. For the most part.  _

_ Once they were done with their food, Akaashi threw the containers in the bin, and washed the cutlery, putting them back on the rack to air dry.  _

_ As he walked back over to the man, he found him fiddling with his camera. A small growl emanated in his throat, and he none-too-politely snatched it off him.  _

_ ‘Ok, now stand against the wall there. I’ll take your photo for the ID.’ He instructed. The man held his hands up in mock surrender, a smirk on his face, but did as he was told all the same.  _

_ ‘I like this side of you- so demanding.’ He teased, like he had known him for years. Akaashi rolled his eyes, and looked through the view finder, ready to take the picture. However, at the last second, the stranger stuck his tongue out, much to Akaashi’s chagrin. The latter huffed, putting a hand on his hip and placing the camera on the edge of the desk, giving the man a glare like no other. This only made him laugh though, which- in turn- made Akaashi smile a little too. A little. At this, the man was practically beaming as he walked over to Akaashi with confidence.  _

‘ _Hey, I made you smile!’ He said, stealthily picking up the camera from the desk, and quickly snapping a picture of him. He blinked in surprise, and pouted. He rarely did that, and he’d already done it at least twice that night._

_ ‘Give that back and stand against the wall. I haven’t got much battery so behave.’ He warned, poking the man in the shoulder, smile returning briefly. He received a cheeky grin, but the stranger did as instructed.  _

_ Once the photo was finally taken, Akaashi took a seat at his desk and began printing and priming it ready to fix to the ID. Of course, his fidgety client ended up picking stuff up and examining it every two seconds, winding Akaashi up the wrong way. He sighed heavily as the man picked up his speaker and began changing the songs.  _

_ ‘If you hate the music so much, put something else on.’ He said, pushing his phone into the man’s hands. ‘Just, no country music. It makes me want to puke.’ He added. The man snorted, and started typing something into what Akaashi assumed was the search bar on his music streaming platform. Just as the photo left the printer, to Akaashi’s dismay, some nineties boyband song began playing. Giving him a questioning sideways glance, he saw the man sitting on the edge of his desk, swaying and bopping his head from side to side. His eyes were closed. He couldn’t be serious, right? A few more seconds passed, and the man peeked an eye open to see Akaashi’s disbelief etched on his face, which made him laugh again.  _

‘ _I like some cheese now and then, don’t judge me.’ He said with a wink, but changed the track regardless, putting on some slow jazz instead. A pleasant surprise._

_ After a little bit longer, the photo was primed and ready, they just had an hour or so left to wait for the ID to finish printing. With that, Akaashi got to his feet, and stretched his arms above his head, involuntarily groaning a little, causing the man to raise his eyebrows at him in surprise. Neither man expected that of all things to occur. Akaashi blushed deeply, and ducked away from the man to head to the sofa. Ignoring what just happened, he resumed the documentary he was watching earlier, and sank into the comfort of the cushions. He left the man to do whatever he wanted, not that there was much to do. That in mind, it didn’t take long for the stranger to turn the music off and fall onto the small sofa next to him- their legs brushing slightly as he put his feet up on the coffee table, like he owned the place. Akaashi was tired. He didn’t have the strength to even argue at this point, and just as the thought of how tired he really was, he nodded off to sleep. _

——- ——-

_ As he slowly woke up to the familiar sound of the printer turning off after finishing a job, he blinked his eyes open. He felt incredibly comfortable, like he hadn’t in quite a long time, before he realised he was resting his head on his client’s shoulder! He looked up, in hopes of finding him to be asleep too, but instead finding narrow eyes squinting down at him. Shit. _

‘ _Sleep well? Y’know, it’s kinda dumb of you to fall asleep with someone you don’t know around. I could’ve like, taken the ID, the cash and your nifty little camera and done a runner.’ He said, matter-of-factly. Akaashi slowly sat up, and rubbed his eyes. ‘Also that was adorable.’ He added, referring to the eye rub. Akaashi pulled his hands away from his eyes, and glared at him, pointedly ignoring the compliment._

_ ‘I am sure you’re aware of how much of a bad idea it would be to do any of that. I’m rather good at making people regret crossing me, as I’m sure you’ve heard, sir.’ He said, exaggerating the ‘sir’, sounding as intimidating as he could in his sleepy state. The stranger gulped, and rubbed the back of his neck, clearly feeling a little more than nervous. Akaashi got to his feet and stumbled over to his desk, checking the time on the wall clock as he did so. 11:20.  _

_ He grabbed the ID from the machine, and carefully added the picture to the side of it, smoothing it down with his thumb. He looked it over as the man made his way to him. He handed it over once he was happy, and smiled sleepily.  _

_ ‘Well, there we go.’ He said, holding out a gentle hand for his client to shake. ‘It’s nice to meet you, Akinori Konoha.’  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be more on this previous relationship in the future, but just for the story’s sake. There will be some Bokuaka next chapter I swear😂🖤 Thank you for understanding x


	5. A Painful Turn of Events

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has a couple of injury details, but not majorly. It mentions blood a couple of times, and some of the things relating to physical recovery, so proceed with caution pretty pls. 
> 
> I hope you guys are staying safe in this crazy world that we live in!🖤

The trip out to the yard was done in almost complete silence. It wasn’t awkward, per se, but Bokuto was clearly trying to process the bombshell that his cellmate had just dropped on him. In Akaashi’s defence, what was he supposed to do? There was no easy- or even polite way- to say that you had killed your ex-boyfriend after all. This didn’t stop him from glancing over his shoulder every now and then though, checking on the taller male as they walked. 

As they neared the doors leading outside, Bokuto spoke up, voice barely above a whisper.

‘Do you regret it, ‘kaashi?’ He asked, as he leaned in closer to the smaller inmate. Akaashi tensed a little.  _ He didn’t. _ However, he was having a hard time urging himself to tell the other man that. So he deflected as best he could.

‘Maybe we can talk a little about it later. Oh look, there’s Kuroo.’ He said, easily distracting the quiet Bokuto, who perked up immediately at his best friend’s name, waving at the hyena to get his attention. Before he could say anything else, Bokuto took off at a sprint, running past Akaashi and through the open doors to the yard- literally jumping into Kuroo’s arms- with an exasperated Kenma standing idly by. Akaashi felt his pain, even from far away. The two friends were like little kids, especially when they were together. 

Akaashi stood watching them from afar for a while, before a heavy hand landed on his shoulder from behind, and another twisting his own hands behind his back, dragging him away before he could do or say anything. He went to yell, but the hand on his shoulder moved to press over his mouth. He groaned against their palm and struggled as much as he could, but to no avail. Whoever it was carried on forcing him backwards, until Akaashi saw that he was being dragged into a closet, not too far from the doors to the yard.  _Where were the damn guards?_ He tried to deadweight to stop himself from being taken any further, but the door was already being slammed closed in front of him. It was pitch black, and Akaashi could feel his fear rising considerably by the second. His attacker still had their hand over his mouth, so he tried biting at their thumb, however this just made their grip tighten. He felt powerless against whoever this was. 

As time ticked by, they stood in silence.  _ The least they could do was get on with it.  _ He squirmed in their arms again, which prompted whoever was holding him to shove him again the wall furthest from the door and finally let him go completely. The closet wasn’t big at all, he could tell, even in the darkness of the room.

Akaashi turned to face- where he assumed- his assailant was, and squinted to try and see as best he could. He didn’t have to try for too long, before a switch was flipped and the dim light hanging above him flickered on. 

His eyes slowly adjusted, and before him stood Tendo Satori, taking a shiv out of his jumpsuit pocket with a terrifying grin on his face. Akaashi tensed up, eyes on the sharp looking tool in the other man’s hand, causing the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.  _ Shit, what the hell was he going to do?  _ He started thinking through his options as fast as possible. Out of everyone, this is the person he knew the least about! He couldn’t talk him out of hurting him, no way! He could try and fight, he supposed, but against an armed inmate who was clearly stronger than him- even without a weapon- he seriously doubted he could prevail. Satori snickered, bringing the smaller inmate’s eyes up to his own. He could almost smell the fear radiating off Akaashi. 

‘Oh little fishy, you just had to get  _ involved _ didn’t you?’ He asked, pouting and flicking his eyelashes quickly, feigning innocence as he tossed the weapon from one hand to the other, over and over. Akaashi’s breath caught in his throat. ‘You’re new. So I’m going to throw you a bone, and explain to you how things work around here. Then, I’ll leave you with a little something to remember me, and our conversation, by.’ He said, a serious expression setting in on his face, as he stepped forward. Akaashi tried backing away, but his back met the wall. He had nowhere to go. Satori tilted his head. ‘I saw that cellmate of yours running security outside of Oikawa’s cell earlier, and I’ve noticed that wherever he goes, you go.’ He tutted. ‘You’re not very sneaky, little fishy.’ He mocked, smirking and glaring at the same time. It didn’t look natural. 

Without warning, Satori lunged forwards and held the shiv firmly against Akaashi’s throat, his adam’s apple bobbing over the tip as he gulped- eyes wide. Satori giggled.

‘I just  know you were talking about me, little fishy. Otherwise, why would you have your pet stood outside, huh?’ He questioned, pressing onto the weapon with the majority of his weight, subsequently puncturing Akaahsi’s soft skin. Blood dripped steadily over the blade, running down Satori’s fingertips. Akaashi squeaked involuntarily at the pain, and bit his lip. He couldn’t shout for help- he didn’t have a death wish after all. Satori grinned impossibly wider, and withdrew his weapon with a flurry, causing more blood to gush from the wound. He slipped it back into his pocket, and turned around- his back to his victim. He shrugged. ‘I’m sure you’ve heard of the phrase, ‘snitches get stitches’, correct?’ Akaashi nodded hastily, avoiding Satori’s gaze. His hands splayed out on the wall behind him in an attempt to steady himself. The red-head whipped his body around to face him once more, a new form of anger crossing his features as he advanced on Akaashi again. ‘Well, the same goes for gossipers, and I’m here to teach you that.’ He growled. ‘I will miss how pretty that face looks after I’m done here.’ He added, pulling his fist back and connecting it with Akaashi’s face. 

The last thing he saw was Satori’s wide eyes and sneer, before his vision went black.

——- ——-

_ ‘’Kaashi?’ _

_ ‘...you hear me...’  _

_ ‘...got you. Just hold o...’  _

_ ‘Move! Fucking mov...’ _

_ ‘...with me. Stay w...’ _

Akaashi felt numb. He drifted in and out of consciousness as he felt his body being carried bridal style- his head brushing limply against his rescuer’s chest. He remembered everything from the closet, but couldn’t stay awake for more than a couple of consecutive seconds. He allowed himself to be pulled back into the darkness once again.

——- ——-

However long later, Akaashi blinked his eyes open once more. He felt a lot more stable this time around, and found himself able to keep his eyes open. He was lay on a bed in a room that wasn’t his cell. The lights above him were bright, and shone mercilessly down on him. He blinked several times before attempting to sit up, only to feel an intense pain in his stomach. As he winced at said pain, he was made aware just how much of his body hurt, including his facial features. Holding back a groan, he tilted his head to the left, seeing a machine running wires everywhere. He also noticed a drip in the back of his hand, and a large, grey clip on his thumb too.  _ Ah, he was in the medical bay. Duh.  _

He made to sit up again, taking more care this time, only to be stopped by a gentle hand on his right shoulder. He gasped, and flinched away, only to find his eyes settling on Bokuto, sitting on a hard-looking plastic chair by his bed. The latter pulled his hand back in a panic.

‘Sorry, ‘kaashi. I didn’t mean to scare you or anything!’ He shouted, making Akaashi wince- a headache on the verge of exploding sitting at the front of his head. Bokuto gasped, and rubbed the back of his neck. ‘Sorry.’ He whispered. ‘I just didn’t want you to hurt yourself.’ He explained, sheepishly grinning and squeezing his eyes closed. Akaashi frowned. 

‘I... I tripped. I... I tripped, and fell onto something in the closet. That’s what happened.’ He explained briefly, his voice thick and groggy from being unconscious. He looked away, and noticed the sun was at it’s peak outside the infirmary window, so he must have blacked out over-night. He heard Bokuto hum suspiciously next to him, and whipped his head around to glare at him. ‘What? It’s the truth. It _is_.’ He insisted.  _Snitches get stitches._ With that thought, ignoring Bokuto’s quiet protests, he reached down under the covers, and lifted the thin, white gown he wore. The sight that greeted him was grotesque. He had jagged,  purple stitches stretching from his hip bone all the way to the other side of his lower abdomen. His eyes widened at the ugly sight of it, and looked up in shock to meet Bokuto’s concerned gaze. 

‘It’s better now than it was when I found you, ‘kaashi. I actually thought you were dead.’ He admitted, his hair drooping as he whispered. ‘I carried you here. The  stupid guards kept getting in the way.’ Suddenly, his emotions changed again. He shook his head, looking angry. ‘They thought  _ I _ did this to you.’ He scoffed .  ‘Like I would carry someone around that I just stabbed. Puh-lease.’ He frowned, his fists clenched on top of the crisp bedsheets in front of him, and a stroppy looking pout on his lips. Akaashi wasn’t really sure what to say. He was weirdly thankful Satori had knocked him out before he decided to stab him and what-not. An intrusive through coursed through his blood, and he shivered. He remembered everything before getting knocked out, but he obviously didn’t know what he had done once he was out cold. He clenched his teeth, his fists following suit. Bokuto cleared his throat. 

‘How’s the pain? Are you hurting? Do you need anything maybe?’ He asked quietly, remembering how his cellmate flinched at his volume before. Akaashi craned his neck around, thankful for Bokuto’s voice as a distraction to his thoughts, and smiled. 

‘Do we maybe need to tell someone that I’m awake?’ He suggested, purposely clicking his neck as he did so. Bokuto gasped dramatically, leaning back so far on his chair that it tipped. 

‘Gah! I was supposed to get Ennoshita! I’ll be right back, Agaashiiii!’ He yelled, springing to his feet and running from the small room, forgetting about his volume again. Akaashi gripped his head at the noise, and grimaced. He hoped they could give him some more pain relief, especially if Bokuto was planning on sticking around. 

He took his cellmate’s absence as a chance to take in his surroundings. There were three beds in the room, and the same amount of machinery by the side of each one. There was also a small, barred window to his left, and a desk none-too-different than the one he had at home, with various medical books and a computer atop it. Thinking of home was far from what he wanted to be doing right now- he had far too many painful memories built up there- he didn’t need any of that added to his problems. 

As he looked around, he saw a white hand held mirror sitting on the bedside table next to him, and reached over to grab it.  _I will miss how pretty that face looks after I’m done here._ Akaashi took a deep breath in, and held the mirror up to see the damage. He squeaked at the sight, and dropped the mirror onto the bed in horror. He reached a quivering hand up to trace over- what he saw as- a large, closed up gash starting from his forehead, making it’s way over his eyebrow- luckily missing his eye- and stopping just above his upper lip. The stitches felt so foreign. They didn’t belong there. He started hyperventilating as he petted the scar, and tears started to well up at the corners of his eyes. 

At that moment, Bokuto chose to re-appear at the door.

‘The doc won’t be long, he said to just... ‘Kaashi? What’s wrong?’ He asked, voice dropping with concern as he made his way over to his distraught cellmate. He looked at the mirror sitting on his lap and sighed, sitting on the edge of the bed. ‘Akaashi. Look at me.’ He instructed, sternly. Hearing his name spoken correctly startled Akaashi enough to snap him slightly out of his panicked state, and he pulled his attention up to lock onto Bokuto’s gaze. ‘No amount of scarring can change you. I’ll never look at you differently.’ He said, before perking up and adding, ‘y’know, you could even grow an extra arm, and I wouldn’t think of you differently.’ He joked, sending a wink his way, trying to lighten the mood. Akaashi snorted out a small laugh, his tears still dripping down his cheeks. Bokuto sighed a little, and reached out a surprisingly gentle hand, swiping said tears away with the calloused pad of his thumb, careful not to graze his scar. ‘You’ll always be beautiful to me, Akaashi.’ He whispered, tilting his head and smiling sweetly. Akaashi wasted no time in turning completely red, right to the tips of his ears- his eyes widening in shock. His brain quite literally didn’t know how to function after that, so he simply sat there, ramrod straight with his mouth hanging open.  _Never mind the scar, you must look pretty dumb right now._ Was the first thing his brain supplied to him. 

Before Akaashi could even fathom a response, the man that he assumed was the doctor made his way into the room, holding onto a clipboard as he made his way over to the pair. He had tidy brown hair, and soft looking hazel eyes. In fact, his entire demeanour screamed gentle. Perhaps with a hidden firmness underneath.

‘Akaashi Keiji, I’m glad to see you’re awake. Bokuto, you may go now. I’ll take it from here.’ He said, making his way around to the other side of Akaashi’s bed to look at the machine. Bokuto began to protest about not leaving his cellmate alone, but the doctor whipped his head around and raised his nicely shaped eyebrows, almost daring the larger inmate to carry on. With this, Bokuto snapped his mouth shut and breathed out a laugh, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. 

‘Uh, okay! Sounds good, doc! I’ll just go get lunch. Can I get ‘kaashi something or...’ he trailed off, rambling slightly. The doctor sighed deeply, pinching the bridge of his nose. 

‘Yes, okay, if you must. However, you should know that you can’t spend all of your time here. He needs his rest, and he certainly won’t be getting that with you of all people around.’ He explained, his hands now on his hips. Bokuto looked a little hurt, but the doctor continued nonetheless. ‘Now, begone! I have tests to run.’ He warned, rifling through the draw in the desk that Akaashi had noticed earlier. Bokuto pouted but stood to leave all the same.

‘See you later, ‘kaashi. I’ll bring you some food if you’re awake.’ He said, patting him harshly on the shoulder a couple of times, making Akaashi wince. Bokuto didn’t seem to notice, however, and almost skipped from the room to get himself some food. 

Once he had left, Akaashi sank back into his pillow, releasing any tension that had built up after what Bokuto had said.  _You’ll always be beautiful to me, Akaashi._ His heart clenched at the memory from just a few minutes ago, and he felt his face heating up once more. Before he had chance to hide, however, the doctor turned his way with gloves on, and a needle prepped in one hand. 

‘I’ll need to give you this shot. It’s to reduce the risk of infection from whatever cut you.’ He explained, and Akaashi nodded. The doctor stepped forward to administer it, and he carried on chatting. ‘My name is Ennoshita Chikara, by the way. I’m one of the two doctors here in the prison, but I usually do the day shift.’ He explained. Akaashi scrunched his nose up at the pinching pain he felt in his arm, but listened all the same. Ennoshita stepped away, discarding the empty shot into a small, yellow bin, and removing his gloves. ‘Are you going to tell me what happened, or...?’ He trailed off, clearly not expecting the truth what so ever. Akaashi frowned down at his lap, glaring at the discarded mirror, and sighed deeply.

‘I tripped and fell onto something sharp.’ He mumbled, angry with how this was going. He was upset, but he felt a rising anger in his gut. _He would get Satori for what he did to him, that was for sure._ Ennoshita hummed, dissatisfied with the answer, but obviously not surprised at all.

‘I figured as much.’ He deadpanned, as he turned a dial on one of the machines. ‘I’m upping your morphine dosage, by the way. You’ll probably sleep for a while because of this, and also feel a little dopey when you wake up.’ He warned, walking over to the desk and taking a seat at it, opening a book and humming a slow song as he read. Akaashi blinked slowly, feeling a little dumbfounded. The doctor was certainly an interesting person. He only had to raise his eyebrows at Bokuto to get him to do as he said, and that was just for starters.  He was clearly a motherly force to be reckoned with, Akaashi concluded to himself. 

Before long, he couldn’t stop his eyes from drooping as he listened to Ennoshita’s soft humming. Soothing memories of Bokuto’s infectious smile flicking through his mind, as he allowed himself to be lulled into a deep sleep. 

——- ——-

When he woke up again, he thought he was alone in the room. He wasn’t sure what time it was- it was light outside, but he didn’t know if it was still the same day or not. As he sat up- feeling a little off his face on the drugs- he looked across the room, and came face to face with Oikawa. He was sat in the bed opposite him, attached to a drip the same as himself. He raised his eyebrows in surprise, and Oikawa met his gaze and pouted.

‘Aka-chan, your pretty face is all messed up.’ He whined, with absolutely no filter. Akaashi glared at him. 

‘Don’t remind me. Why are you here, anyway?’ He asked, voice low. Oikawa shrugged. 

‘Same as you probably. Tripped and fell, silly meeee.’ He sung, throwing up a peace sign.  _ What was it with this guy and crappy poses?  _ He sighed after this, however, and moved his bed cover to the side. ‘I’m surprised I didn’t wake you up when I got bought in- I was utterly _livid_.’ He showed Akaashi his knee, heavily bandaged up and set straight. ‘I... fell down the stairs from the library. They think my knee is... in simple wording, smashed to shit.’ He said, barely above a whisper. He looked incredibly broken in that moment, but shook his head and smiled over at Akaashi. ‘At least I didn’t mess up my beautiful face.’ He bragged, holding his head high. Akaashi rolled his eyes, and took a woozy look at the door to the infirmary, hoping Bokuto would stop by soon. Thinking about it, it was very convenient how him and Oikawa of all people ending up in the infirmary at almost the same time. He guessed Satori had something to do with his fellow inmate’s injury too. He frowned. 

‘I thought you were untouchable because of Iwaizumi?’ He questioned, not even thinking about his words. _Stupid drugs._ ‘Y’know, your not-boyfriend.’ He confirmed, just in case he had forgotten who Iwaizumi was, and giggled to himself. Oikawa looked taken aback as he moved the cover over his leg again, raising his eyebrows at Akaashi’s forward question. 

‘Even Iwa-chan is powerless against... well, you know who...’ he trailed off quietly. ‘That’s why I want to stop him. I’ll find a way to put an end to his reign on this prison, and I will _end_ him. In a way worse than _death itself._ ’ He growled, gripping the bedsheets tight in his clenched fists. An uncomfortable silence passed over the two soon after, and they simply had to just sit and deal with it. Akaashi figured something pretty big must have happened to either him or Iwaizumi- _or both-_ for Oikawa to feel this passionate about Satori. 

Time ticked on, and Akaashi was getting restless. The morphine was making him feel antsy, and he needed to do something.  _ Anything _ . So, he tried standing up- against his better judgement. He ripped the drip out from the back of his hand- followed by the morphine wire from his arm- and threw his legs off the side of his bed, earning a gasp from Oikawa across the isle. 

‘Aka-chan, you shouldn’t stand up so soon. Kei-chan told me you have a stab wound on your stomach, and you’re just going to fall...’ he said, just as Akaashi attempted to stand up, but flopped straight to the floor. ‘...down.’ He sighed. ‘Y’know, I can’t come and save you either so, congratulations on being a dumbass.’ He said, pouting. Akaashi simply laughed as he lay on his side. He pointed at Oikawa as best as he could from the floor. 

‘You look kind of funny from this angle.’ He hummed, rolling onto his back and giggling a little. Oikawa frowned. 

‘Okay, rude. I’m not the one with a huge, ugly scar on my face.’ He said with a huff, and crossing his arms over his chest. Akaashi sighed.

‘Yeah... Bokuto-san still thinks I’m pretty though.’ He smiled, closing his eyes at the thought of his cellmate. This caught Oikawa’s attention.

‘Oh? He said that to you, huh?’ He questioned, making the most out of the drugged up Akaashi on the floor, who was attempting to sit up against the bedside table. The latter nodded. 

‘He said I was beautiful.’ He admitted, blushing once again. ‘I think he is too. Right? Hetotally is. He really is. To-t-al-ly.’ He rambled. ‘I- I’ve only known him for two days, Oikawa! What even is this?’ He asked, giggling behind his hand, but almost instantly stopping- suddenly realising what he’d been saying, and to whom. He slowly looked up at the other inmate, who was grinning from ear to ear. ‘I hate drugs.’ Akaashi said as he sulked on the floor, tipping his head back and closing his eyes. Oikawa chuckled to himself. 

‘Oh don’t worry, Aka-chan. You’re secret safe with me.  _Mostly_ . We’re partners in crime and all that, now! Tell you what, I’ll tell you a secret about me, too.’ He offered, snapping the smaller inmate’s attention up almost instantly, like a child being offered chocolate. He was beaming- his eyes wide in anticipation. ‘Well, I’m actually in love with Iwa-chan.’ He admitted, blushing a little. Akaashi whined loudly. 

‘That isn’t a secret! I’m actually 98% sure that even Iwaizumi knows you’re in love with him, it’s so painfully  obvious,  Tooru.’ He complained from the floor, feeling bold. Oikawa gasped in mock-horror, but before he could reply, the door to the infirmary swung open, and Iwaizumi and Bokuto walked in together for visiting hour. ‘Speak of the devil and...’ Akaashi drawled, just as Oikawa threw his pillow at him, and shushed him as the others neared them. Bokuto gasped loudly, and fell to his knees next to his cellmate on the floor. 

‘’Kaashi, what the hell happened?’ He yelled. Akaashi grimaced, and pushed his palm playfully at Bokuto’s cheek to move him away. His other moving to his own mouth, and shushing his cellmate. Before he could speak however, the latter scooped him up gently from his place on the floor, and tucked him back into the bed, moving the wires to the side for now. ‘You shouldn’t try and stand yet. Your muscles in your stomach haven’t healed, and you need those to walk... or something.’ He informed his cellmate, questioning his own knowledge towards the end as he stretched his head. As he went to say more, however, Akaashi reached up with his arms and wriggled his fingers.

‘Konahaaaa, I need a cuddle.’ He whined, completely unaware of what he was saying. Bokuto raised his eyebrows, and turned to look at the other two inmates sitting on the other bed together, clearly enjoying the show before them. Bokuto looked back down at his cellmate, and frowned. 

‘’Kaashi, I think now would be a good time to shut up.’ He suggested with a forced grin, trying to warn Akaashi about what it was he was doing, but the latter merely gazed up at him through half lidded eyes, clearly confused. Bokuto sighed. ‘I’m going to get the doc. I think you need sleepy time, ‘ickle baby.’ He teased, pushing Akaashi’s arms down to his sides, and turning around to leave, but his cellmate had other ideas. He tugged at his arm and looked up with large puppy-dog eyes. 

‘I really do need a cuddle right now, Koniiii.’ He whined, not letting go of Bokuto once. Iwaizumi snorted from the other side of the room, receiving an elbow to the ribs and a shush from Oikawa. ‘I don’t like drugs.’ He continued, tears threatening to spill over his red-rimmed eyes. Like Bokuto could say no to that face, even if he did get his name wrong.  _ Twice _ .

‘Okay, if that’s what you want, ‘kaashi. Move over.’ He instructed, receiving a content hum in response from his cellmate, and ignoring the snickers from across the room. 

As Bokuto settled down on the narrow bed, he wrapped his arm around Akaashi’s shoulders, pulling him in tight against his side. Underneath the cover, the smaller inmate hooked his leg over one of Bokuto’s, and gripped the material of his jumpsuit like his life depended on it. Bokuto could barely believe what was happening, and blushed a little as his hand brushed against Akaashi’s bare shoulder, from where his gown had fallen a little. Like the gentleman he was, he tugged the material up a little to cover his skin. He felt a little bad about the whole situation, seen as Akaashi only wanted this because he was on drugs, and he also thought he was someone else, but he figured a hug was harmless enough. He was sure that his sober cellmate would forgive him. 

It barely took any time at all before Akaashi’s breathing evened out, signalling that he was asleep. When the others realised this, they sat forward. Oikawa was the first to speak up. 

‘Who the hell is Konoha?’ He asked, fully invested in the scene before him. Bokuto shrugged. 

‘I dunno. I’ll maybe ask him later.’ He said off-handedly, very aware of whom he was talking to- the prison gossip. Oikawa frowned, and went to say more but received a light smack on the back of the head from Iwaizumi, who sat next to him on the bed. 

‘Stop digging for information, Crappykawa.’ He warned, turning back to face the pair on the bed opposite. ‘Hey, Bokuto. Want me to grab Ennoshita? Akaashi needs his drip back in, right?’ He offered, moving to stand up. Bokuto nodded enthusiastically.

‘Thanks, man!’ He said loudly, wincing as he looked down at his sleeping cellmate next to him, who still held Bokuto in a death grip. He smiled, tilting his head to the side at the sight. 

Without another word, Iwaizumi headed out of the room. 

Looking over at the pair opposite him, Oikawa made a vomiting noise at how sappy they looked. Bokuto glared at him, and tightened the arm around Akaashi. He had become so very important to him in such a small amount of time, and the thought that he had gotten hurt because he wasn’t there for him, made his insides writhe in anger. An involuntary growl left Bokuto’s lips, and Oikawa’s eyes widened. 

‘Kou-chan, it isn’t your fault he got hurt, y’know?’ He tried telling him, almost like he read his mind. ‘You can’t be with him all of the time, just like Iwa-chan can’t always be there for me...’ he trailed off, sounding a little defeated as he gripped his bad knee. ‘We all deserve to be here.’ He whispered. Bokuto nodded in response, never once looking away from Akaashi. He couldn’t quite put his finger on why he had become so important to him in such a small amount of time. He just wanted to protect him, and be there for him.  _ Always _ . 

A couple of minutes later, and Iwaizumi returned with the doctor, who looked a little taken aback at the sight in front of him. Bokuto peeled his eyes off Akaashi and looked to Ennoshita, eyes watery. 

‘Please don’t make me move away... he was  _ stabbed _ . He didn’t  fall, doc. That much is obvious.’ He almost whispered. ‘Please?’ He asked, a little louder and almost desperately, his large, owl-like eyes widening as he puffed his chest out, metaphorically standing his ground. Ennoshita looked confused at the very least. He looked over at Iwaizumi, whom was taking a seat on the chair next to Oikawa’s bed, then back to Bokuto who was holding onto his own patient like he would die if he let him go. He frowned, considering his options. 

‘Inmate, this isn’t a holiday home. The infirmary isn’t the place for relaxing and playing around.’ He insisted, wagging a finger at Bokuto. A few seconds passed, and he winked at him, leaning in a little closer. ‘There. I’ve told you what I think from my professional stand point. It’s not my fault if you don’t listen to me- I am just a mere doctor after all.’ He shrugged, moving over to push the wires back into the cannulas on Akaashi’s arm and hand. Three sets of eyes were on him, all eyebrows raised in surprise. He looked between them all. ‘What? Don’t be weird and make me regret this. If a guard finds you like that, I won’t hesitate to throw you under the bus and fake my innocence.’ He said, matter-of-factly. Bokuto grinned. 

‘Thanks, doc. You’re awesome!’ He stage whispered, careful not to wake Akaashi. Ennoshita smiled as he took a seat at his desk, picking up a medical book to busy himself with. He did enjoy a crappy real-life romance, even if he didn’t ever admit it out loud. 

‘You’ve got about 45 minutes left of visiting hours. Then you’ll have to go back to whatever it is you do at this time of day.’ He said, turning a page of his book absentmindedly. The inmates all grinned, and went to talking between themselves. Namely Oikawa and Iwaizumi. 

Bokuto was too busy holding onto Akaashi- drinking in every moment that passed them by- rubbing his arm softly. He took his time taking in everything about the smaller inmate snuggled up next to him. Everything, from the curl of his small toes poking out of the covers, to the long, dark eyelashes lining his eyelids. The new scar harshly jutting out from his perfect features caught his attention, but didn’t hold it. He didn’t need to try hard to see Akaashi’s beauty as a whole, even with the new scarring. He had intrigued Bokuto from the moment he met him, and never wanted a moment more of his dull life without his warmth by his side. Literally and figuratively. 

Brushing his cellmate’s messy, dark hair off his forehead, his hand lingered on his smooth skin. As he gazed down at Akaashi’s slender frame, he realised that he didn’t ever want that moment to end. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Another chapter coming in a couple of days. I’m back at work now, so have less time to write, but thanks for understanding! Kudos and comments always welcome.
> 
> Sending my love to you all☺️🖤


	6. The Memory That Haunts Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akaashi finally gets the green light to leave the infirmary, and new characters get introduced!

After a week of being poked and prodded in the infirmary, Ennoshita had agreed to let Akaashi go back to his cell; on the grounds that he got plenty of rest, and be allowed meals there too. Ukai had showed up on his last day in the hospital wing, confirming Ennoshita’s request had been approved by the warden. Akaashi was more than glad to be leaving. He was- ironically- getting sick of the room he had been forced to spend time in. At least now he could get sick of his cell after a while. 

Oikawa had been cleared after a couple of days- although he had a pretty severe limp, the doc figured there was nothing else that could be done for him, and let him return to normal prison life. His cellmate, Hinata, and Iwaizumi had shown up to help him walk back on the day of his discharge. There was no small amount of complaining on Oikawa’s part- anyone unbeknown to the situation would have thought he’s lost an arm or something. 

After what felt like forever, Akaashi had been sent back to his cell just after lunch. No one had showed up to help him back, but he couldn’t say he was surprised. However, a small glimmer of disappointment bubbled in his gut at the thought of Bokuto not showing up for him. He frowned.  _ He can’t always be around, stupid.  _

He hadn’t much memory of what happened whilst he was bedridden either- he vaguely recalled seeing his cellmate when he first woke up, but almost every memory after that was unclear. He didn’t like it. Had Bokuto visited him much? He didn’t know- he was in and out of consciousness all week, almost right up to the end of his stay- thanks to the drugs. All he had to recall his time there, was the fuzzy feeling the morphine had given him, and the healing scars on his body, which were now void of stitches. The scars were ugly, but they were healing nicely. Particularly the one on his face- to Akaashi’s delight- it was merely a dark pink, jagged line crossing his sharp features now. 

His walk back to the cells was a little painful, but he managed. His stomach muscles were still quite tender and weak, but the doc had suggested small walks to gain his previous strength back. So he pushed forwards, nearing the last security gate before the cell block. 

He could see the guard from the cafeteria last week, Daichi, up ahead speaking to a silver haired inmate. They stood pretty close, and spoke in hushed voices. What was it that the psychopath had said? _‘_ _ How is Sugawara these days? I’ve seen you visiting his cell quite often recently...’  _ Ah, perhaps the inmate was Sugawara. That would make sense. As he approached the two men, he barely overheard what they said, but managed to briefly hear the end of Daichi’s sentence.

‘...so I’ll bring it to you later, okay?’ He mumbled, before glancing up to see Akaashi approaching. He cleared his throat and stood up straight, the inmate next to him whipping his head around to see their interruption with raised eyebrows. Daichi unlocked the gate for Akaashi and Sugawara to walk through. The former nodded his head in thanks, and stepped through just behind the other inmate. ‘Suga, just stay out of trouble, please.’ Daichi warned, a subtle smile on his face as he turned his back to them, crossing his arms across his chest. Sugawara giggled, and carried on walking, Akaashi close behind him. 

‘He takes his job so seriously! He needs to loosen up a little.’ The silver haired inmate sighed, pouting. Akaashi raised an eyebrow. 

‘Seems like he has been...’ he mumbled, deadpan expression unwavering. Sugawara turned his head to face him.

‘What was that?’ 

‘Nothing.’  _ Stop getting involved,  _ he warned himself. Sugawara grinned knowingly, and held his hand out for him to shake as they stopped walking.

‘Ha, I like you. My name is Sugawara Koushi, but just call me Suga, okay?’ He informed him, his bright smile almost blinding to Akaashi. He was very pretty. He took his outstretched hand and shook it once, also bowing his head slightly. Before he could speak, Suga continued. ‘If you ever need anything, just let me know. I’ll help in anyway that I can, Akaashi-kun.’ His wide smile still sitting pretty. ‘You’ll find me on the third floor- I cell share with Kageyama, so don’t be afraid to visit!’ Akaashi nodded his head in confirmation, and let go of Suga’s hand. The latter pulled his attention ahead of them, and gasped as he saw Hinata balancing on one of the hand rails on the first floor like a kid. ‘Hinata, get down from there! You’ll break your neck!’ He panicked, running off and leaving Akaashi alone. He seemed nice enough, if not a little intense.  _ Still a murderer though.  _

Akaashi sighed, and set off down the last part of the corridor to reach the cells. Before he could reach the doors however, a hand landed on his arm and wrenched him backwards, pulling him into a closet.  _Not again._ In his panic, he swung a fist blindly with closed eyes, and it connected with someone’s face. A yelp sounded through the small space, and Akaashi stopped in his tracks. He opened his eyes. 

‘ _Oikawa_? What the hell?’ He squeaked, backing away from the inmate who was rubbing his face with a pout. 

‘I didn’t mean to scare you Aka-chan, but please be careful of the goods, it’s my favourite part of myself.’ He whined, resting his hands on his hips. Akaashi’s mouth hung open unceremoniously as he tried to come to terms with what was happening. Oikawa cleared his throat to continue, his slightly sour mood lifting into that of excitement. ‘Sorry about the venue choice, but I needed to tell you something crazy!’ He said, clapping his hands together with enthusiasm. If there was something Oikawa was this excited about, Akaashi wasn’t sure whether he should be intrigued or terrified. There was a glint of mischief sparkling in his fellow inmate’s eyes, which concerned him to no end. He stood up straight, and raised his eyebrows in question. Oikawa squeaked. ‘Tendo has a new cellmate!’ He all but shouted, earning a shush from Akaashi. He stuck his tongue out, and continued. ‘This is a good thing, Aka-chan! Satori is undoubtedly going to be distracted by his new roomie for ages!’ Akaashi couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for the new comer, and he physically winced at the thought. Oikawa seemed to notice, and placed a hand on his shoulder. ‘You can focus on healing without worrying about him too much.’ Akaashi narrowed his eyes at what he was insinuating.

‘I fell. What’s it got to do with Satori?’ He asked. Oikawa sighed.

‘Come on, Aka-chan. I think we all know what really happened. The same goes for me... oh, and the new guy is  _ huge _ , by the way.’ He deflected. ‘So, I’m sure he’ll be fine. Not that I care. Anyway! Let’s get out of here- you look _so_ tired .’ He finished quickly, clearly trying to change the subject. He grabbed Akaashi by both shoulders, and steered him out of the closet. 

As they exited the small room, Akaashi barely had time to get his bearings, before getting tackled into a bone crushing hug from someone. His feet lifted from the floor, and he squeezed his eyes shut. He could vaguely hear Oikawa complaining behind him about how he was still injured, prompting his assailant into putting him down. As he opened his eyes, feet firmly planted back on solid ground, he gazed up into large, yellow orbs. Bokuto grinned down at him, his hands still placed firmly on Akaashi’s hips. 

‘Sorry ‘kaashi! Oh, and I’m sorry I couldn’t be there when you left the infirmary too! I had lunch duty, and then Kuroo was saying how...’ Bokuto rambled, Akaashi’s eyes widening at the sudden physical contact he was receiving. The hands on his hips seemed to freeze him in place. Before he could urge himself to say or do anything, Sugawara appeared again- a dejected Hinata in tow- and grabbed Bokuto’s earlobe, dragging him a small distance away, earning a little whine from the taller inmate. 

‘Can you not see he’s uncomfortable, Bokuto? Let the poor guy breathe! I’m assuming he’s just left the infirmary, judging by the slash on his face, so maybe be more considerate!’ Sugawara scolded, wagging a finger at Bokuto, who’s expression was matching that of Hinata’s- except the larger inmate’s hair also drooped. Akaashi still felt frozen, until Oikawa draped an arm over his shoulders, snapping him out of it. He spoke, but addressed Bokuto. 

‘Kou-chan, he was in and out of consciousness all week, so maybe take it easy, yeah? He won’t  _ remember _ .’ He said, gritting his teeth with his last word. Akaashi wasn’t stupid, they were trying to hide something from him, or at the very least trying to be vague. Looking up at Bokuto, it seemed that some kind of realisation had hit him suddenly, and he turned incredibly red. 

‘Ah! I’m so sorry, ‘kaashi, please forgive me! I didn’t mean to make you feel weird, I would never hurt you, or make you feel bad on purpose! Forgive me!’ He rambled, bowing incredibly low. Akaashi felt taken aback, but smirked at his cellmate’s reaction nonetheless. He knew he wouldn’t hurt him, he just wasn’t expecting a hug of all things. He bent down to Bokuto’s level.

‘Bokuto-san, it’s okay. I’m not hurt, I just wasn’t expecting...  _ that _ .’ He finished, waiting for his cellmate to look up. He didn’t, however. He just shook his head, and stayed where he was. Akaashi sighed. He hadn’t seen this side of him much, if not at all. It appeared to him that his cellmate had a number of specific moods, or weaknesses maybe.  _ Weakness number 4, perhaps? _ Therefore, he had to distract him. ‘Bokuto-san, I feel a little tired, could you help me back to our cell? I would appreciate it very much.’ He spoke quietly. Bokuto flew into a standing position, close to colliding with Akaashi’s face. A grin began spreading across his face at an alarming rate. 

‘Of course, ‘kaashi!’ He said excitedly, reaching out to grab Akaashi by the wrist, only to jump back half way there. ‘Erm, may I touch you?’ He asked, sheepishly rubbing his neck. A slightly awkward silence passed over the group, until Hinata coughed dramatically and spoke up.

‘Oikawa senpai, I gotta show you something I just learnt, come on!’ He practically yelled, snapping out of his mood and dragging Oikawa away, followed closely by Suga, clearly wanting to keep an eye on them. 

Akaashi watched them go, before turning his attention back to Bokuto.

‘You can touch me, I’m just a little jumpy after... well, I mean, I’m still healing from falling on something sharp, you see.’ He muttered, almost giving away what really happened. Not that he didn’t think Bokuto already assumed what had really happened, but he’d be dammed if he said it out loud. His cellmate hummed, but moved towards him all the same, scooping Akaashi up into a bridal style hold. The latter let out a squeak in surprise, and rested his hands against Bokuto’s chest to steady himself. ‘I can still walk, you really don’t have to carry me.’ He informed him, gripping the jumpsuit under his palms gently, trying to stay calm. Bokuto shrugged.

‘You’re not heavy at all, and we live on the third floor, ‘kaashi. It’ll take you forever to get up there.’ He laughed. The smaller of the two could feel the very same laughter vibrating gently against his hands, reminding him of just his close they were in that moment. He could feel a deep blush setting in, starting from the base of his neck, and finishing at the tips of his ears. Bokuto was being so familiar with him, or at least a lot more open. _What had happened during his stay in the infirmary?_

As they approached the stairs, Takeda walked briskly over to them. 

‘Put him down, inmate. It’s dangerous to carry someone up the stairs.’ He reprimanded, a frown on his features. Akaashi raised his eyebrows at how firm he was being. He may be new himself, but so was this guy. 

‘Being assertive doesn’t suit you.’ Akaashi admitted bluntly, icy gaze staring Takeda down from his place in the arms of his cellmate. The latter squeaked, and hid behind his clipboard. The two inmates both rolled their eyes in unison. Before he could say anymore, Bokuto piped up.

‘Waaaait, are those  hickies?’  He asked, eyes lighting up and head tilting to the side to try and see around the clipboard. Takeda jumped backwards, and covered his neck with his free hand, embarrassment and utter terror creeping over his features. ‘They _are_! Oh my  god , so are you and Ukai like, official now? That’s so exciting, I’m so happy for you guys, I can’t wait to tell everyone!’ Bokuto yelled, taking the distraction as a means to get away from the now flustered guard. He took the stairs two at a time, regardless of how he still easily held Akaashi in his arms. Takeda peaked out from behind his clipboard, seeing the two inmates making their escape. 

‘H-hey! Put him down!’ He complained, half heartedly as he stood and watched them get away. ‘Also, we aren’t official! _Agh_!’ 

Bokuto snickered, and turned the corner to start the next flight of stairs. 

‘I can’t believe you just said that to him, ‘kaashi. It was so funny!’ He said, still giggling as he walked. Akaashi smiled. 

‘I can’t believe you pointed out his love bites.’ Akaashi admitted, hiding a small laugh behind his hand. ‘You have some good observation skills, Bokuto-san.’ The taller inmate only laughed louder at that.

‘They were kinda hard to miss! Oh man, I can’t wait to annoy Ukai about this later.’ He said, eyes gleaming with mischief. 

They neared their cell, but something caught Bokuto’s attention at the end of the row. Tendo Satori was stood talking to someone he had never seen before, which was curious. They shouldn’t have gotten new inmates yet. It had only been just over a week since Akaashi had arrived after all. He glared in their direction, suspicion clouding his mind. He almost didn’t hear Akaashi speak.

‘What’s wrong, Bokuto-san?’ He asked, following his line of sight, and sucking in a panicked breath at what he was seeing.  _ Why did they seem so friendly? Didn’t the new guy only get in today? _ His grip on his cellmate’s jumpsuit tightened, and he tensed up all over. Bokuto seemed to notice this, and with one final glance over at Satori and the new comer- a growl emanating in his throat- he stepped inside the cell. 

As gently as he could, Bokuto lowered the smaller of the two onto his bed on the bottom bunk. He could see that Akaashi was about to protest, so he spoke over him. 

‘I don’t mind, and it’s easier for you. It still hurts, right?’ He asked, pulling the blanket up and over Akaashi.  _He is being incredibly soft._ The smaller inmate thought to himself. The latter thought about his answer and nodded, albeit reluctantly. A small, tame smile found it’s way to Bokuto’s lips. ‘Then it’s okay. As long as you don’t feel too weird having my bed, that is...’ he trailed off, realising that maybe it was a little forward of him. He turned his back to Akaashi, and ruffled his own hair in a panic. ‘...ah, I should’ve washed my sheets before I came to get you! I’m sorry I...’ he stuttered, unsure of what to do or say. Akaashi decided to cut him off. 

‘It’s really okay. I don’t mind. At least you smell nice.’ He admitted, shrugging his shoulders. He snuggled further down into the thin sheets and pillow, the calming, natural scent of his cellmate flowing over his senses as his eyes drifted closed. The last thing he saw was Bokuto whipping around to look at him, a dusting of pink littering his cheeks. 

——- ——-

As he came to once more, no one was around. He was alone in his cell, and it was eerily quiet. Deciding that it was probably dinner time, he slowly sat up from where he lay in Boktuo’s bed. He blushed as he remembered what he had said before passing out. He really needed to start finding a way to keep his damn mouth closed. He was just insanely glad that Bokuto hadn’t asked him about Tendo earlier on- he wasn’t entirely sure he could talk about what happened just yet- especially because he had lied about falling over, of all the things he could have said. 

With a sigh, he went to get up and walk around a little, but before he could do so, Oikawa appeared in the doorway- a tray of food in his hands. 

‘Aka-chan! I do hope you’re not over-exerting yourself! Your favourite inmate has bought you food!’ He sang, confidently striding into the cell- albeit with a limp- and putting the tray of food down onto Akaashi’s lap, sitting next to him on the bed. The latter looked down at the- once again- questionable brown  stuff  on his plate, and started poking at it. He wasn’t entirely sure why Oikawa bought him his food out of everyone,  but whatever . In fact, he remembered how Satori was talking to the new guy so fondly, and wanted to tell Oikawa. After swallowing his first spoonful of  stuff , he looked over at his fellow inmate.

‘So, I saw Satori and his new cellmate earlier.’ He informed him. ‘Yet, something didn’t sit right with me. Did he get here today?’ He asked, needing to know that first of all. Oikawa nodded, causing Akaashi to frown. ‘Well, they seemed awful friendly. Did he arrive with anyone else new, or did he come alone?’ Oikawa shrugged.

‘I’m fairly certain it was just a normal bus-load of newbies. They released a bunch of people on level one a few days ago, so there was space. Oh, and you say they’re acting familiar?’ He questioned, leaning on a fist that propped him up on his knees. Akaashi hummed as he continued eating his food. ‘I wonder if they already know each other...’ he pondered out loud. The smaller of the two gripped his tray with his free hand.

‘You said he had mafia-level connections. Maybe that’s what this is- back up.’ Akaashi suggested, internally cringing at the thought of there being more than one Tendo Satori. 

As Oikawa opened his mouth to agree, a shadow fell over them from the doorway. A tall, muscular man stood before them, his arms crossed over his solid-looking chest. What looked like a permanent stoic expression was etched into his features, and he stared down at the two men in front of him. He seemed to be a couple of inches taller than Akaashi and Oikawa, and his olive coloured eyes reflected their fear back at them under the dull lighting in the cell. Akaashi’s own eyes widened, and he set his almost-empty tray onto the desk next to him to free up his hands, just in case he had to fight. The man narrowed his eyes, and unfolded his arms. 

‘I’m not here to harm you, but I shall give you some advice. Do not speak of Tendo. He is extremely perceptive of people. That said, however,  _ you _ intrigue me. You seem like a capable man from what I’ve observed today.’ He nodded towards Oikawa, who looked offended that he had even looked his way. ‘You should perhaps consider coming to work for us. We could always use new informants after all.’ He explained. Oikawa, to his credit, scoffed and stood up, placing his hands on his hips- all fear disappearing in under a second. 

‘Like I would ever even want to  _ breathe _ near you two, let alone work for you. Now get out of here, my friend is recovering from  _ falling over _ _.’_ He hinted, exaggerating his last words as he gritted his teeth menacingly. The new comer merely raised his eyebrows. 

‘You seem angry. Perhaps I have said something to upset you?’ He asked, oddly innocently. Thinking about it, he had just confirmed to them that him and Satori are partners in... crime?  _ Whatever _ . He was either extremely dumb, or extremely confident in their ability as a team. Oikawa glared at the taller man, and strode over to him as best he could with his injured knee. He poked at his chest, hard, and puffed his own chest out. 

‘I don’t know who you think you are, but you can’t just rock up to this prison and decide you’re going to rule it. You’re the new one around here, so allow me to give  _ you _ some advice. Stay away from us, or you’re going to regret it.’ He spat. Akaashi was a little shocked at Oikawa’s outburst, but at the same time, he also wasn’t. He was a very passionate man, he supposed. Watching the scene unfold in front of him, Akaashi just sat and patiently waited until he was needed. It seemed that Oikawa had the situation under control. The taller man shuffled back a little. 

‘I do know who I am. I am Wakotoshi Ushijima.’ He deadpanned. Oikawa’s eye was twitching in annoyance.  _How had that figure of speech gone over his head?_ Akaashi had to stop himself from snorting out a small laugh. ‘You are Oikawa Tooru, and I think you would benefit greatly from joining us.’ As Oikawa opened his mouth to complain once again, someone from behind Ushijima cleared their throat loudly. 

Everyone turned to see Bokuto stood at the top of the stairs- a confused expression on his face. Akaashi felt himself brighten up a little at the sight of his cellmate. Bokuto, whom was the same height of the new comer, walked over to him and tilted his head. 

‘I don’t think they want you here, so maybe you should leave.’ He strongly suggested, bumping a firm shoulder against his as he walked into his cell. ‘Akaashi, are you okay?’ He asked rhetorically, glancing at Ushijima over his shoulder with a glare. The latter nodded, and turned to leave, before stopping and turning to Oikawa again. 

‘Think about what I said, Tooru.’ He said seriously, using his first name and walking away. Oikawa had his hands balled into fists at his side, both of his eyes twitching incredulously and he limped out of the cell. 

All Akaashi and Bokuto heard once he had left was a loud, ‘I will never join you!’ Both men cringing at the volume level of Oikawa. Akaashi, however, couldn’t help but laugh a little, making Bokuto smile. 

‘I’m glad to see you’re making friends, ‘kaashi.’ He admitted, kneeling down in front of his cellmate and placing his hands on his knees. Akaashi blushed a little at the contact, despite the words he had with himself earlier. ‘Oh, can I ask what you used to do for fun before coming here? I’m a little intrigued.’ He said, standing up and sitting on the chair at the desk. Akaashi shrugged. He never really did much at all, other than work.

‘I liked watching deep sea documentaries, and I often read books too.’ He explained. He tried to think about what he used to do before he met his ex-boyfriend. He would rather not think about those times after all. Bokuto sat forward with interest. 

‘Maybe you could help me teach Hinata how to read! He knows the basics, but he’s struggling with some stuff, and I’m not the best as it is.’ He admitted, ruffling the silver spikes of his hair, a small tinge of embarrassment passing over him. Akaashi hummed. 

‘I’ll think about it, for sure. I do miss reading my mystery novels, I suppose.’ He thought out loud, tapping his chin in consideration. In front of him, his cellmate listened intently, his head resting on the palms of his hands as he propped himself up on his knees. Akaashi narrowed his eyes as he thought about a particular book that he had read possibly fifty times over. The book itself sat on his shelf at home, the cover completely battered, but clearly well loved. It bought a fond smile to his lips. ‘Actually, there was one book that I have  _ loved  _ for as long as I can remember.  _ The Quiet Cave in the Cove. _ Konoha used to read it to me when I couldn’t sleep.’ He reminisced, small tears prickling at the corners of his eyes. ‘He was really  _ awful _ at it.’ He laughed bitterly, tears now freely falling down his sharp features. He could feel them tumble over the ridge of his scar, which only made him break down further. He balled his hands up into fists, resting them on his knees. He could see the tears leaving dark spots on his jumpsuit, pulling him deeper into his despair. 

_ I hate him. Why did he have to betray me? He had it coming. He had to go. No one crosses me. No one. No one will get away with it. I loved him. Why wasn’t I good enough?  _ His mind supplied as he curled forward into himself. At least, he thought he had said them to himself. 

Before he knew what was happening, Bokuto was pushing him down onto the bed, and wrapping himself around Akaashi, pulling him into his chest. 

‘You are good enough, Akaashi. It’s okay to hate him for whatever he did, y’know? I’m guessing Konoha is your ex, right?’ He asked quietly, painfully remembering the time in the medbay when the injured man had called  him by that name. Akaashi, still slightly taken aback from the sudden physical contact once again, nodded slowly against Bokuto’s chest, and sniffed. ‘Well, even if you still love him, that’s okay too.’ He whispered, his breath ghosting the top of his cellmate’s messy, ink-black hair. Akaashi couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed. Since when was Bokuto- of all people- so wise? Unless it was a fluke.  _ Probably _ . 

Akaashi was tired. He’d been sleeping a lot the past week, he supposed, but his emotions weighed heavily on his mind. As he drifted off into a restless nap, he focused on the tangle of his limbs with Bokuto’s, and the sweet, natural smell of him fighting off his worries. He didn’t know how he felt towards Konoha anymore- he couldn’t decide if he was angry, upset, or just plain disappointed- but he did know one thing:

  
_He didn’t ever want to let go of the man laying next to him right now._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To my knowledge, there isn’t a book by the name of The Quiet Cave in the Cove- I made it up🙈 
> 
> A more Bokuaka centred chapter next time, but I’m loving writing the dynamic between Akaashi and Oikawa- an unusual friendship, but I think they will become good friends that protect each other over time- seen as they’re both looking for some form of protection other than their respective pairings🥺🖤


	7. New Information

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akaashi learns of a dark truth that will surely haunt his past decisions...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m so sorry this took so long to post! I was working an awful lot over Christmas, but now that I’m back in lockdown, I’ll have time to work on this properly🙈 
> 
> I’m not fully happy with how this chapter turned out, but didn’t want to keep anyone waiting any longer! 
> 
> The next chapter I have planned is a flashback to help clear up some things that will happen after, and also will reference a few things said in previous chapters maybe. 
> 
> Thank you for bearing with me, and Happy New Year!🖤

Akaashi awoke to the sound of a constant, ear-splitting banging. His eyelids flew open in surprise, and he bolted into a sitting position, harshly slamming his head into the bunk above him. Wincing, he grabbed his forehead in pain, and looked around for the source of the noise that woke him up. His sight fell on his open cell door, with an unimpressed Ukai whacking his baton against the frame.  _ Was it morning? _

‘Come on love birds, up and at ‘em! I gotta open the other cells yet so I need you on your feet.’ Ukai complained, squinting at Akaashi and focusing in on his scar. ‘Oh right, you’re injured. Okay, stay there but do me a favour and wake your boyfriend up, yeah?’ He mumbled before walking off to another cell no doubt. Akaashi raised his eyebrows.  _Boyfriend_? 

Just as he was about to move off the bed in his daze to wake Bokuto from the bunk above him, he felt the covers shift next to him unexpectedly. He froze. Blinking once, he slowly turned his head and looked down to his right, his gaze landing on a mess of grey and black hair on the pillow next to him. Without meaning to, he let out a sharp squeak and jumped away from his cellmate, haphazardly falling from the bed and landing in a heap on the floor. A twinge of pain shot through his still-healing-stomach, making him hiss as he untangled himself from the thin sheets sprawled across him. He pulled the covers off his head, and sheepishly peered out from underneath. To his relief, Bokuto stayed asleep with just a small sigh escaping his open mouth. 

It took Akaashi a minute, but the events of the night before slowly came flooding back to him as he sat staring at the peaceful, sleeping figure on the bed in front of him. He remembered losing it, and breaking down in front of Bokuto, and the latter pushing them both down onto the bunk to provide some comfort. 

Before he could stop himself, he gasped at the memories that had made him so upset.  Konaha . He face palmed and sighed deeply. He needed to get over himself. He was the one that killed him, so why was he so upset? He knew that the main reason he killed him was to keep his reputation intact. He couldn’t let  anyone undermine him- not even his (now ex) boyfriend. If he had let it slide and those on the streets had found out, people would have walked all over him. His ex had taken his laptop and turned Akaashi’s apartment upside down, clearly digging for evidence to turn into the police. He had to die, regardless of how Akaashi felt about him. 

As the familiar sting of warm tears prickled at the corners of his eyes once more, he heard the familiar squeak of the bunk as the mattress dipped, and his eyes flew up to meet sleepy, half-lidded yellow ones. Bokuto was sitting on the edge of the bed, head tilted to the side in confusion as he leaned forward.

‘’Kaashi? What’re you doing on the floor?’ He asked quietly, blinking slowly as he looked down at his cellmate, rubbing the sleep from his eyes with the back of his hand.  _ Cute... wait, no. Not now- shut up, brain.  _ Akaashi scolded himself in his head. Lowering his arms, he suddenly realised Akaashi must have fallen, and he sprang to his feet. ‘Ah! You fell, didn’t you? I’m sorry, I fidget in my sleep! Here, let me help you up!’ He panicked, rushing to lift him into a standing position. The latter squeaked as Bokuto grabbed his shoulders- none too gently- and lifted him up effortlessly to stand next to him, hands planted in place to keep him steady. Akaashi couldn’t help but feel slightly awkward, but he smiled nonetheless.

‘Thank you, Bokuto-san. I would also like to apologise for last night. I don’t know what came over me, so please forgive me, and try your best to forget about my moment of weakness.’ He said as he stepped away from Bokuto’s hold, and bowed low to avoid any unwanted eye contact. He didn’t straighten up until he heard his cellmate sigh deeply. 

‘You aren’t weak, Akaashi. I don’t blame you for how you feel, and I actually wanted to let you know that I’m here for you. We didn’t talk all that much about it, and I think you’ll feel a lot better if you do talk about what happened.’ He suggested, cocking his head to the side. Akaashi stood up straight with a small frown on his face. He didn’t want to talk about it. Konaha betrayed him, so Akaashi killed him. He deserved it. End of.

‘No. That won’t be necessary. There is nothing to talk about.’ He bluntly answered, turning his back on Bokuto and crossing his arms over his chest tightly. He felt a heavy hand land on his shoulder. 

‘I’m here for you, so just talk to me...’

‘No.’ Akaashi insisted, his anger threatening to overflow as he frowned at the wall with the suggestive poster.

‘I really think that talking about it will help, ‘kaashi!’ Bokuto insisted, gripping his fellow inmate’s shoulders tighter. Akaashi growled.

‘What, like you talk about your criminal and personal life so readily?’ Akaashi snapped, dropping his arms and clenching his fists at his sides. Why couldn’t he take the hint? Last night was enough drama for him to last a lifetime after all. That said, he could actually feel the anger that bubbled beneath the surface all but a second ago, diminishing slowly as time dragged on, and a tense silence filled the air. He swallowed his pride, and turned around to face Bokuto, guilt suddenly plaguing him. The larger of the two looked startled, like he didn’t know what to do or say. ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that.’ Akaashi whispered, looking up at the fake smile tugging at the corners of Bokuto’s lips. The latter shook his head. 

‘I understand, Akaashi.’ He quietly said, his hair- although already squashed from sleep- deflated with his mood. ‘I’ll go grab us some breakfast.’ He muttered, dragging his feet as he made his way to the entrance of their shared cell. Akaashi moved to grab him by the jumpsuit sleeve- still worn from yesterday- but stopped himself as a small pain made itself apparent in his stomach again. He winced, and sunk down onto the bunk in pain, as he watched Bokuto leave. He sighed, and allowed himself to feel bad about what had just happened. His fellow inmate was only trying to help, but Akaashi did what he did best and ruined the moment. Thinking back on how awful Bokuto looked a few moments ago- with his rumpled jumpsuit and flat hair- he realised how much he wanted a shower. He figured he could do so and get back to the cell before Bokuto came back with food, so he briefly grabbed his shower things and made his way out.

The brightness of the cell block hit him like a brick wall, and he squinted intensely as his eyes adjusted to the light coming through the large, barred skylight window above him. There was a autumnal chill in the air, sending a small shiver through his body as he walked.  _ Or limped. _ There didn’t seem to be many inmates around at all, clearly all seated in the cafeteria for breakfast already. Akaashi took this as a blessing, and started down the stairs in front of him. 

As he reached the last set of stairs on the second floor, he did a double take towards one of the further away cells. Kenma was peeking around the corner of- what Akaashi presumed was- his own cell, staring straight at him.  _ Was he trying to catch his attention?  _ He glanced around before turning and walking towards the smaller inmate. 

Kenma disappeared back into the cell as Akaashi neared him, leaving the latter feeling a little confused as he clutched his shower things in his hand. He rounded the corner slowly, and a surprising sight greeted him. Kenma, Sugawara, and Oikawa all sat on the cold floor looking up at him. Akaashi raised his eyebrows.  _ What was this, a cult meeting?  _

He could see that Kenma’s cell was covered in gaming posters and awful cat pictures, adorned with awful inspiring quotes. He also noticed a particularly fluffy, red comforter draped across the top bunk in a disappointing attempt at appearing tidy. He didn’t think Kenma would be so  soft , but he supposed he did also remind him of a small child, along with Hinata. Aside from Kenma’s belongings, there wasn’t much suggesting the presence of a cellmate at all, aside from the neatly made bottom bed, and a small tray of various hand sanitisers and cleansing wipes.  _ Odd _ .

Oikawa frantically patted the space on the ground next to him.

‘Aka-chan, come sit. We’re discussing ways to bring down Satan.’ He stated, an almost evil gleam in his eyes.  Satan?  Suga must have seen the confusion pass over his features, as he smiled sweetly and whispered an explaination as Akaashi sat down sceptically. 

‘Tendo. These two have a particular good reason to want to be rid of him, and us pretty guys have to stick together, right? So, I’m here to help.’ He winked. Akaashi liked Suga. He was just so... honest? Very mum like. Akaashi’s raised eyebrows didn’t waver, however, and he merely looked between each member of the pretty gossip squad questioningly. Kenma nodded slowly. 

‘He had my family’s home burnt to the ground... he stabbed you, Akaashi, and he slammed Oikawa’s knee in a door multiple times, and then pushed him down a flight of stairs... he needs to go. I still have 8 years left of my 10 year sentence, and he scares me...’ Kenma admitted, trailing off. Suga put his arm around the smallest member of the group and squeezed him.  _ So Oikawa’s previous run ins with Tendo had been over his knee...  _

‘He’s a threat to Daichi’s job, too. I know it would be my fault if anything did happen, but if I can protect him in any way, then I will. I won’t hesitate.’ Suga added, a determined expression set on his face. Akaashi sighed, and pinched the bridge of his nose. He didn’t really want to be involved, but he supposed getting rid of this Tendo character would make his life a lot easier. 

‘Okay. What are your ideas so far?’ He asked, looking between everyone once again. A pregnant pause followed, the three inmates looking anywhere other than directly at Akaashi. ‘You have no ideas, do you?’ He sighed again, rubbing his temples. Oikawa giggled behind his hand. 

‘You’re the intelligent one, Aka-chan. Maybe aside from Kenma here.’ Oikawa said, leaning on the smallest inmate to his left. Akaashi shook his head, a small smile creeping in.

‘You don’t give yourselves enough credit. There’s a reason the new guy wanted you to work with them, Oikawa.’ He said, really smiling this time. As he finished his sentence, a lightbulb went off above his head, he could’ve sworn it did. ‘Oikawa, that’s it... you need to go work for them...’ he trailed off, thoughts still spinning as he schemed in his head. Everyone seemed taken aback by various things, but Suga was the first to pipe up.

‘Wakato... erm, the newbie asked you to work for them?’ He asked, disbelief dripping from his words, and his face contorting into pure disgust. Oikawa nodded, a pout etched into his lips as Kenma spoke up, the former still leaning on his shoulder heavily. 

‘Yes. You should, Oikawa. If you gain their trust, you could feed them false information making it easier to lay down a trap.’ Kenma suggested, hiding behind his hair as he looked at the floor with his cat-like eyes, clearly thinking hard on ideas. Oikawa groaned loudly, finally lifting his weight from the blonde.

‘I don’t wanna join their shitty cult, guys!’ He complained, dragging out his words as he whined. ‘Are we forgetting what that lunatic did to me?’ He stage whispered, pulling the leg of his jumpsuit up to reveal his bandaged knee. Akaashi narrowed his eyes as he thought out loud. 

‘It was the new guy who was set on recruiting you... I think you would be relatively safe if you went and spoke to him. He would surely then talk his... business partner around.’ He shrugged, pushing himself up to stand. ‘I need to get going. Bokuto will be back with food soon and I still need to shower. Just think it over, Oikawa-san.’ He said as he bowed and turned to leave, leaving behind a whining Oikawa, and Suga trying to console him. As he left the cell, a small tug at his sleeve turned his attention downwards. Kenma was stood next to him, his eyes to the floor. 

‘I... want to believe you’re a good person, despite you being here-  obviously . So, don’t ever hurt Koutarou. He means a lot to Kuro, so he kind of means a lot to me by default.’ He admitted, still looking down and gripping Akaashi’s sleeve. ‘It’s pretty clear how he feels about you, so talk to him about how  you feel or something. Don’t get his hopes up if  he isn’t what you want.’ He warned, reminding Akaashi of his and Bokuto’s conversation earlier on. In response, he merely nodded, and shifted to move away, only for Kenma’s hold to tighten- his eyes moved to settle on Akaashi’s, his pupils dilating. ‘I like you. You’re not like a lot of the people here.’ He mumbled, finally letting go and stalking back into his cell. Akaashi didn’t know what to take in first from that conversation if he was honest. 

He mentally slapped himself and moved to walk the rest of the way to the showers. He clearly had a lot to think about. 

——- ——-

Once he was showered, he went to commissary to get himself another jumpsuit and a jacket. He had accumulated enough through his sick pay over the week for both, thankfully. He was fairly surprised to find out he was receiving sick pay if he was honest, but he was happy about it regardless. Now he could give Bokuto the one he had borrowed back, which made him a little sad, admittedly. 

With his jacket and jumpsuit rolled up under one arm and his shower things hooked over his arm, he made his way back to his cell. 

As he approached the cell block, he saw Hinata slowly backing away from the closet that Oikawa had previously pulled Akaashi into. The large, wooden door was closed, but the petite inmate looked as white as a sheet.  _ Had he seen something bad happen in there perhaps?  _ Akaashi decided to ask him what was going on, seen as he clearly looked distressed, and Bokuto seemed rather fond of the younger man. 

‘Hinata-kun? Is everything okay?’ He asked quietly as he approached him. Just as he was about reach a hand out to steady him, Hinata whipped his head around and stared at Akaashi- tears welling in his eyes as he surged forward and grabbed at his arms.

‘He’s going to _kill me.’_ He whispered, clinging onto Akaashi for dear life as they both looked towards the still unopened closet door. The latter frowned deeply, his fingers twitching as he pulled Hinata into his side and strode into the cell block with purpose. They clearly needed to get away from whatever was happening in that cupboard, and if Hinata was serious about getting killed over what he saw, Akaashi was now an accomplice.  _ Wonderful _ . His inner hero complex well and truly sucked.

Akaashi dragged Hinata along, and stalked over to his cell on the ground floor, meaning to catch Oikawa and ask him for some sort of advice, and hopefully talk over what had happened back there. 

As they neared the cell, Iwaizumi was walking out, shrugging his jumpsuit back onto his shoulders. Akaashi didn’t need to be told what had just happened, but he ignored the signs and brushed passed him all the same. He noticed there was a considerable amount of books added to the pile since the last time he had visited, and a new poster hung on the wall next to the Alien one. It had a cute little puppy adorning it- he figured that belonged to Hinata. As Akaashi and Iwaizumi’s shoulders brushed lightly, the latter huffed out a sound of annoyance, which the former ignored too, making a beeline for a half naked Oikawa lying on his bunk. The Alien fanatic stretched his arms above his head as he saw the two inmates enter his cell, before reaching down to pull up his jumpsuit over his shoulders properly. 

‘Ah, Aka-chan. I’ve been thinking about what you proposed earlier.’ He declared, his voice light and happy, until he noticed the tears silently streaming down Hinata’s cheeks. ‘Chibi-chan? What happened?’ He asked, scrambling to sit on the edge of his bunk to open his arms, ready for Hinata to fall into them for comfort. He did so, and Akaashi crossed his arms over his chest as he looked down at his fellow inmates.

‘I’m not sure what happened, but Hinata seems to think that his life is on the line over what he just saw in the closet back there.’ He stated, gesturing his head toward the corridor outside. Oikawa went pale at the thought, and ran his hand through the smaller inmate’s fluffy hair. 

‘Chibi-chan, could you tell us what happened?’ He asked, his voice muffled by the wild curls of Hinata’s ginger locks. The latter nodded, and shifted to sit next to Oikawa on the bunk. Taking a deep breath in, Hinata began explaining what he saw.

‘I- I saw a shadow through a gap in the closet, so I looked through and... I- I saw the new guy and Tendo making out... and just as I went to turn away, Tendo opened his eyes, and- and he _saw me_...’ he trailed off with a whisper, paling even further at the memory. He shook his head. ‘The new guy was biting down his neck... I think they were, well... y’know.’ He sniffed. ‘He saw me guys. I’m  dead .’ He stated, holding his head high as he tried to be brave in the face of dangerous thoughts. Before either of the others could speak up, a slightly gruff voice spoke up behind Akaashi, who stepped to the side to reveal Kageyama.

‘Who’s dead, dumbass?’ He questioned, glaring down at the mess that Hinata was in. ‘What did you do, idiot?’ He frowned, squatting down and resting his firm hands on Hinata’s knees, like he was trying to ground him. It must have helped somehow, as Hinata took one final shaky breath. Clearing his throat, he rested his hands on the top of Kageyama’s and explained what he had seen once more. ‘Hinata, you idiot. Why did you creep for so long? You should’ve bolted as soon as you saw... no, in fact, you shouldn’t go near the closets and shit. You know about the crap that goes down in there, so why the fuck would you do that?’ He spat, but at the same time clung to Hinata’s hands desperately. Akaashi narrowed his eyes as he made a quick decision on the spot. 

‘Oikawa, forget being a fake recruit for Tendo, we need to act. If we think Hinata’s life really is on the line, something needs to be done. ASAP.’ He explained, drawing a deep growl from Kageyama. 

‘I don’t give a fuck what kind of weird, cult bullcrap you have going on here, but if it means keeping this shithead alive, then count me in.’ He said, glaring up at Akaashi from where he knelt on the floor in front of Hinata, still gripping him tightly. Akaashi nodded.

‘Hinata, stay close to anyone you trust for the time being. After all of you are done with work later, visit my cell. I’m still on bed rest, so we can pass the group meeting off as you guys visiting me. We’ll talk properly then.’ He suggested. ‘I have to go, or Bokuto will worry and come looking for me. I’d rather not get him involved.’ He admitted, walking to the cell entrance, vaguely hearing Kageyama tell Hinata not to leave his sight during towel duty. He smiled to himself as he also heard Oikawa chime in with a loud whine about how he would be better at protecting ‘Chibi-chan.’ As he left the group behind, he climbed the stairs to his own cell as fast as his aching body could, keeping a watchful eye out for trouble as he went. He felt like a magnet for it as of late. 

There was still a few hours before work hours and lunch began, so there was quite a few prisoners milling around now that breakfast was finished. The sea of ugly, orange jumpsuits seemed never ending, as Akaashi squeezed past others on his way up the loud, metallic stairs. The worrisome creaks and slight rocking of the structure was the least of his problems right now anyway. 

He limped into his cell, feeling the need to rest very suddenly as his stomach ached, and looked up to see Bokuto sitting at the desk, munching on an apple. The latter met his eyes and stood up, throwing the apple to the floor behind him and surging forward, capturing Akaashi into a tight bear hug. Akaashi froze at first- his arms stiff at his sides- but soon relaxed into Bokuto’s warm embrace, and wrapped his thin arms around his cell mate’s larger frame. Worry that he didn’t realise he had been dragging around with him all morning disappeared within seconds, breathing in the scent of the man hanging onto him.  _ When had Bokuto become his rock?  _ Without letting go, Bokuto spoke up, his voice slightly hoarse as he pressed his face into Akaashi’s shoulder. 

‘I’m sorry for earlier, ‘kaashi. You don’t have to talk about anything you don’t want to. I pushed way too hard, so I’m real sorry... please forgive me?’ He asked, sounding timid as his clutch tightened impossibly so. Akaashi sighed, and closed his eyes as he lowered his head to rest against Bokuto’s solid chest.

‘There’s nothing to forgive, Bokuto-san. Besides, I’m the one that is sorry. I shouldn’t have snapped at you, especially because you were right.’ He admitted, earning a small gasp from his fellow inmate as he lifted his head from his shoulder, looking into Akaashi’s steely irises, a look of shock itched into his face. Akaashi smiled. ‘I think I do want to talk about it with you... maybe just not yet.’ He said, voice barely above a whisper. Bokuto merely stared at him with his jaw slightly slack, and grip still tight behind Akaashi’s back. It took the larger of the two a minute or so to process the words that were said to him, but he eventually nodded his head enthusiastically, and hesitantly moved his hands to squeeze Akaashi’s hips gently. 

‘I will listen, ‘kaashi. Whenever you need me, I’ll be there.’ He said, a large toothy smile spreading across his  adorable face. Just as Akaashi was about to speak up, Bokuto let him go and moved to the desk to grab the tray of food that perched on the edge. ‘Oh yeah, I bought you food! The porridge is kinda cold now... but I swiped some sugar sachets from Kuroo’s stash, so adding that should help! Oh and when I...’ Bokuto rambled, handing Akaashi the tray and guiding him to sit at the desk. The latter didn’t realise how much he had begun to rely on Bokuto’s presence, and found himself noticing that he had actually missed being with him that morning. His constant rambling and absolute nonsense mood swings made him forget his problems at least for a while, and made him feel like maybe he could make a home out of prison life.  _Sappy_.  He mentally kicked himself. He wanted to allow himself to have these feelings, even if he kept them to himself. 

As he finished up his food- that almost ended up being lunch- he dragged his aching body over to the bunk and flopped down heavily, still listening to Bokuto ramble about who would win in an arm wrestling match, him or Kuroo. Akaashi rolled his eyes fondly as he lay on his back. He remarked how he thought Bokuto would win, which made the owl-like inmate perk up, until Akaashi shot him down by saying it wouldn’t exactly be very difficult to beat the hyena. Bokuto groaned loudly, and sank onto the edge of the bunk in a mood. Akaashi snickered quietly behind his hand, and tugged at Bokuto’s jumpsuit sleeve, a habit that he had begrudgingly began to accept was something he did now. 

‘Want to nap before you go to work?’ He asked, blushing a little and looking away. If he wanted to get to know Bokuto- and also tell him about his own past- he figured he should start with being a little vulnerable around him at least, even if it did remind him of Konaha in a slightly painful way. He also kind of wanted to know what really happened when he was in the Medbay. Bokuto raised his eyebrows, clearly not expecting this from the smaller man, but smiled sweetly and scooted closer to Akaashi, kicking his legs up onto the bunk and pulling the thin sheets over them both. Akaashi shuffled over and pressed his back against the cold wall to make more room, sending a shuddering shiver up his spine. Bokuto must have felt it, as he hesitantly lay a warm arm over the smaller frame of his cellmate, and fitted his hand on Akaashi’s back to create some distance between him and the chill of the wall. Narrow eyes widened at the touch, and gazed up into large, golden orbs. He blinked a couple of times in disbelief at what was happening, but found himself gripping the clothing across Bokuto’s chest. Their faces were incredibly close, and their breath could be felt on one another’s cheeks, both turning a pretty pink at the intimacy of the moment. Bokuto cleared his throat, breaking the silence- which Akaashi noted hadn’t felt awkward or uncomfortable in any way. 

‘Erm, is- is this okay?’ He whispered, his breath hot against Akaashi’s blushing face, not daring to speak any louder. Without breaking eye contact, and neither of them even blinking, Akaashi nodded slowly, drawing a subtle smile from Bokuto’s lips. The latter had no problem taking that as confirmation, and snaked his other hand underneath the smaller body next to him, resting both hands on his back to shield him from the cold. Both of their hearts beat fast, slamming into their ribs with unrelenting force, almost choking both men of breath as they relished the new feelings overpowering their minds. 

Finally looking down and away from Bokuto’s intense eyes, Akaashi rested his head against the solid chest of his cellmate. He felt so  _ touch starved  _ that it was ridiculous. He was enjoying himself, but he wanted-  _ needed _ \- more. With that in mind, and completely out of character, he whined a little, and buried impossibly closer into the body lying next to him, tangling their legs together unconsciously. He noted how comfortable he was, despite Bokuto being impressively muscular, his body was insanely nice to rest against. He heard a small titter come from above him, and the hands on his back gripped his jumpsuit tightly. Feeling more content, he hummed and squeezed his eyes shut, allowing himself to drift off to sleep as he breathed in the scent of...  _ lime and chocolate? _

——- ——-

When Akaashi woke up, Bokuto was gone. It must have been time for him to either go for lunch or get to work. He slowly sat up, feeling a lot more refreshed after taking a brief nap. _Had he made things weird?_ The only thing he knew was that they had crossed a line, with a point of no return in sight. However, his stomach was feeling less strained as his gave it a poke over the top of his jumpsuit. 

As he looked down at his stomach, he hadn’t noticed the figure sat on the desk stool across the room, and startled when they cleared their throat. Looking at who the intruder was, his pupils dilated in fear. Tendo Satori was leaning his weight onto his palms as he leant forward on his knees, staring at Akaashi with large, knowing eyes.  _ Was he watching him sleep?  _

‘Fish, was your last warning not enough? That really is quite unfortunate for you, and your little friend Hinata Shoyo...’ he trailed off, tapping his chin with a long, narrow finger as he thought about his next words. Akaashi simply listened as he pressed his back against the wall, the cold that Bokuto had just protected him against now seeping through his skin as he sat unmoving. ‘I don’t very much appreciate you trying to protect the little shit that was spying on me...’ he said, losing what he had in the ways of composure for a second, before violently shaking his head and adding, ‘...and you went running to that brat, Oikawa. I don’t see what Wakatoshi sees in him personally, but back to the matter at hand!’ He exclaimed, jumping to his feet without warning and clapping his hands together. Akaashi attempted to push himself through the wall to escape, but blatantly got nowhere as Tendo marched towards him. ‘Now now, I’m not going to hurt you. I’m actually going to give you some information, and hope to god it absolutely destroys you to your very bones, so they can’t... be... fixed... with... adhesives!’ He sang, gripping his sides like a madman- his knuckles turning whiter with each exaggerated word- and sporting a large toothy grin. As he got close, he leant on the edge of the bunk and pushed himself into Akaashi’s personal space, mere inches away from his face. He sneered, and licked his lips. ‘What would you say if I told you that your precious Konaha, your sorry excuse for an ex-boyfriend, wasn’t the one to betray you?’


	8. Flashback 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A brief and painful look to the past...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ‼️‼️TRIGGER WARNINGS‼️‼️
> 
> There’s gun violence, the regular kind of violence (I dunno), mentions of blood, death and also fire in this chapter. Please consider this before reading. It’s not AS bad as it sounds, but do bare these in mind.
> 
> On a lighter note, I realised after I wrote this that Akaashi is actually bigger than Konaha, but figured it didn’t matter all that much and left it how it was😂

_‘Interesting choice of name.’ Konaha said, a smirk playing across his sharp features. He stood looking down at the ID in his hands, running a thumb over the picture of himself to the left. ‘I look so...’ He whispered, disbelief setting in as he stared down at the card. Akaashi, feeling brave, answered for him._

_ ‘Handsome.’ He finished bluntly, his narrow eyes looking straight ahead as he focused on keeping his composure.  _ He shouldn’t have said that. Why did he say that? What had come over him?  _ ‘I- I mean, I prefer your new appearance to your previous one.’ He explained formally, his face turning beet red before he could stop himself. Konaha’s eyes shot up, locking with Akaashi’s own.  _

_A pregnant pause followed his words, and the two men merely stood each other for a while._

_Without warning- and just as Akaashi opened his mouth to defend himself further- Konaha dropped the ID card to the floor with a resounding clatter, and surged forwards to capture their lips in a passionate kiss. Steely blue eyes flew open in pure shock, as he stood there dumbfounded. The blonde’s hands gripped the other’s arms tightly, his hold sure to leave bruises on the delicate skin beneath any clothing worn. A slight pull urged their bodies closer, and their chests pressed together as the hands on Akaashi’s arms made their way to the small of his back. The latter still didn’t move, however._

_Konaha began to pull away when he realised the other man wasn’t responding, but before he could get too far back- like his own personal time had resumed once more- Akaashi snapped out of his daze, and snaked a hand behind the other’s neck to pull him back. Their lips connected again as the blonde sucked in a surprised breath, his hands landing on Akaashi’s hips and anchoring himself there. The kiss soon became a mess of needy licks, and teeth grazing lips with quiet hisses of pain filling the almost-silence around them- the calming sounds from the TV drowned out completely from their intense activity._

_It didn’t take them long to stumble towards the stairs._

_Akaashi bit his lip as he took the first step up, and grabbed Konoha by the neckline of his t-shirt, gazing down at him hungrily through half-lidded eyes. The latter emitted a low growl from his throat, and lunged forward to grab the slightly smaller man around the waist, hoisting him up to allow him to wrap his toned legs around his hips._

_Not many words were spoken after that, as they made their way up to Akaashi’s bedroom._

_——- ——-_

_Kuroo Tetsurou considered himself a pretty chill person. He was smart, and landed himself a job in sports promotions after he graduated. He was good with his fists, and made it quite far in his boxing club at university. Managing to get a beautiful girlfriend and a house at the age of 22 was definitely impressive, and was very proud of himself. He lived a good life._

_Until he found out that his girlfriend cheated on him that is._

_After finding her and the man in question at it in his own bed- in a blind fit of rage- he had grabbed the dude’s annoyingly perfect hair, and dragged him outside. After beating him to near-death, he let him flee- he just didn’t stop there. He followed the guy home and found him on the doorstep of what he presumed was his house, frantically pounding in the door to grab his housemate’s attention as to let him inside. Only, help didn’t come until it was too late._

_By the time his housemate came home, the home was set ablaze. He had tried picking a fight with Kuroo who was- beforehand- merely stood watching the flames he had created dance in a trance. Of course, he ended up getting beaten just like his friend. The both of them unable to anything but watch their lives go up in smoke._

_The sound of sirens sounded through the air, which finally snapped Kuroo from his thoughts, and he only then realised what he had done. He eyes flew open, and he made a run for it. He couldn’t go home now, he had to get away._

_ As he reached the end of the street, a man leaning against a street lamp caught his attention briefly.  Was he watching the whole thing?  Before he could resume his escape, the man- around about the same age as him- began walking toward him, and opened his mouth to speak to him.  _

_  
‘I can help you disappear. You seem rather skilled in certain areas... so, how would you feel about joining my team?’ He asked mysteriously. Kuroo stared at the man before him.  _ Was this really happening?  _ He knew his life was pretty much over now. He had ruined everything he had going for himself, and what? He was about to join a gang? The  _ mafia _ even?  _ Was that even a thing?  _ As thoughts raced through his mind- the sirens growing nearer and nearer as time progressed- Kuroo found himself nodding frantically. ‘Very well. This way, Tetsurou.’ The man finished, walking down an alleyway, assuming Kuroo would follow.  _ How did he know his name?

_——- ——-_

_Turned out the mafia did exist, and now Kuroo was doing them favours. He hadn’t joined them, per se, he just offered his butt kicking/ ruffing up services to them now and then, in return for protection against the law. They had their claws somewhat deep in the police force after all._

_One rainy day, he found himself standing across the street of an apartment complex. The area was less than impressive, and that was putting it politely. It put Kuroo on edge, but he had a job to do. He was to break into one of the flats, and seek out as much evidence and information on the occupant as possible. He then had to go to the police and hand it all in. It was a risky job for him, seen as he himself was on the run from the law, and turning someone else in for their crimes- basically on behalf of the mafia- was going to be difficult. He couldn’t get caught. He had to be as sly as possible._

_Breaking in was the easy part. The door was left unlocked._ Idiots _. So, he let himself in. If anyone was home, he’d just punch them. That usually worked for him, anyway._

_As he close the door behind him, it was evident that someone was home. Light snores filled the air from the small bedroom on the balcony above, but regardless of who was home, he was here to get shit done._

_He marched over to the laptop on the desk, grabbed it and shoved it in his bag. His attention then turned to the camera on the sideboard, which he also grabbed. He then riffled through the books on the bookcase, looking for anything regarding forgery and fraud. He threw every book that he didn’t need to the floor, bagging a couple that seemed important. He roughly tore through a few more cabinets and draws, before rapid footsteps approached him from behind. He was sort of hoping for a bit of a fight._

_ Kuroo turned to face his assailant, a shorter man with dirty blonde hair and an interesting array of piercings, narrow eyes widening as he attempted to hit him over the head with a salt rock.  Of all things.  Kuroo dodged easily, and managed to spear the guy onto the sofa behind him, knocking over several items on the way down. He didn’t want to hurt the guy, really. He himself wasn’t actually a bad person, he just missed fighting a little bit maybe. ‘I’m guessing you’re Konaha? My job report says to be mindful about you being around, but they wouldn’t give me the name of your boyfriend.’ Kuroo guessed out loud as the guy came nearer. ‘Yeah, that’s me. Now get the fuck out of our home.’ Konaha spat as he lurched forward again. Kuroo barely spared him a glance as he ripped the salt rock from Konaha’s hands, and cracked it onto the back of his head. Enough to knock him out. No blood, he would just wake up to a massive head ache and a small lump. He knew what he was doing.  _

_Satisfied, he looked at the trampled stated of the apartment, and shrugged. He got what he came for, and made his way out._

_It turned out that the job was merely a set up. He arrived at the police station under the cover of night to anonymously drop the evidence off, but found himself surrounded by dozens of police officers. One particular police officer stepped forward with his gun raised._

_‘Kuroo Tetsurou, drop the bag and step away. Place your hands on your head, and lay on the floor. Now!’ He insisted._

_His arrest followed pretty briefly after that, and at the early age of 22 no less._

_——- ——-_

_It had been a few years since Akaashi and Konoha began dating, and Akaashi had just turned 21._

_ One night, they lay in bed in the dim light of their shared apartment, Konaha’s arm draped around the slender shoulders of his boyfriend as he read his favourite book out loud to him.  _ For the one millionth time, he was sure. 

_‘With the sound of crisp, dry sand crunching under foot, Angela drifted further into the concealed cave...’ he read. ‘...I still don’t understand why she’s still there. Why doesn’t she just_ leave _?’ He questioned, frowning down at the book in his one hand. Akaashi followed suit._

_‘Koni, stop ruining it. This is my favourite...’_

_ ‘Your favourite part, yes. I know. I’ve read it you  so many times, baby.’ He complained, tossing the battered book to the side and turning to face Akaashi. ‘How about we pass the time some other way, huh?’ He growled in Akaashi’s ear, running his hands through the inky black hair he had his hands buried in, earning him a blush from the latter. However, it also got him a palm to the face, as his boyfriend pushed him away lightly, and stood from the bed.  _

_‘You are the worst.’ He shook his head. ‘I’m going to the corner shop, you want anything?’ He asked, before pulling on a jacket and heading for the stairs. Konoha groaned loudly, and flopped back down onto the bed._

_‘Just you, baby.’ He whined, lazily throwing a pillow at his boyfriend. Akaashi ducked and it hit the railing. He shook his head with a smile._

_‘I’ll be back soon. Don’t sleep now- wait for me.’ He said before turning to leave._

_——- ——-_

_When he returned, there was nothing he could say to describe the sight he was greeted with._

_The flat was turned upside down, with many of his possessions gone. Including his laptop. They weren’t the only things missing, either._

_Konaha was also gone._

_——- ——-_

_Akaashi wasn’t stupid. In fact, he was actually very intelligent. He knew the police were looking for him- he watched the news- but he also knew how to avoid them at all costs. He had been doing so since he was 18 after all._

_It had been over two years since Konaha disappeared with all of his belongings, and Akaashi was relentlessly tracking him down. He underestimated him a great deal when it came to getting away from him, and found himself stuck in dead end after dead end on his hunt._

_Until one autumn night, he just so happened to bump into the man himself._

_He was feeling nostalgic on Konaha’s birthday, and went to the park they had gone to for Konaha’s birthday a couple of years ago. He saw the man sat on the bench they had sat on together. He almost didn’t recognise him, with his now-black hair, and lack of piercings. The sight of him snapped something within Akaashi, and he marched over to him, fists clenched and the anger etched onto his features shadowed beneath the midnight moonlight._

_‘What was it I said when we first met?’ He asked, the weight from the gun tucked into the waistband of his jeans heavy as he spoke. Konaha’s eyes flew open, and he jumped to his feet. ‘That people regret it when they cross me?’ He growled, his steely eyes turning a pitch black. ‘What made you think that you were any different?’ He asked, cocking his head to the side. Konaha’s jaw dropped heavily open, and stumbled to the side._

_‘Keiji? No, wait. Let me explain, please!’ He begged, slotting his fingers together as he prayed to a god that was clearly not listening. Akaashi stepped forward, revealing his face fully as a street lamp shone from above him._

_ ‘By all means, tell me what went through your head when you thought you could get away with ruining my life.’ He deadpanned. Konaha gulped, and also stepped forward. They were pretty much the same height, so they stared into each other’s eyes for a moment. It reminded Akaashi of their first kiss.  _ No, stop it _.  Konaha reached for Akaashi’s hand, and gently gripped his fingers. The latter didn’t pull away, but he felt a snarl slowly making itself known on his face. _

_ ‘You look good. I’m glad. After all this time, I really hoped you would be okay.’ He started, but before Akaashi could interrupt, he carried on. ‘I did not betray you. I was there when they broke in, you have to believe me.’ He frantically explained, the soft hold he once held Akaashi’s fingers with slowly tightening. ‘The guy knocked me unconscious, and when I came to you still weren’t back. So I went after him, but before I could even get anywhere, some tall dude  from the damn mafia  told me to stay out of it, and to leave Tokyo if I wanted to live.’ He sighed, letting go of the fingers he grasped. ‘I was a coward, and I’m sorry, but I would never betray you, Keiji.’ He pleaded, tears in his eyes. Akaashi growled. _

_ ‘You’re a liar.  The  _ mafia _ , Konaha? It doesn’t exist.’ He snarled. ‘You were the only one who had access to my apartment, and I  trusted you!’ He shouted, tears welling in his own eyes as he reached for his gun. ‘I loved you. You knew about my trust issues, and you still took everything from me, and left.’ He whispered, raising the gun. Konaha staggered backwards. _

_‘Keiji, wait!’ He yelled, holding his hands up in surrender. Akaashi shook his head._

_‘It’s Akaashi!’ He screamed loudly, tears falling down his cheeks. He hated it when people used the wrong name. ‘It’s Akaashi to you.’ He then whispered, as he tightened his grip on the gun, squeezing the trigger with a click, followed by a life changing bang, and the thud of a body hitting the floor._

_Akaashi dropped his piece, and fell to his knees as he stared at his ex-boyfriend lay on the floor, gripping his shoulder in agony. He didn’t scream, he just lay there, tears sitting on his eyelashes as he gazed over at his ex. He spoke though gritted teeth, and then squeezed his eyes shut._

_‘I still love you.’ He wheezed. ‘I always will, and I just hope one day that you can see... you were my everything, and that I didn’t sell you out.’ He insisted, pain blurring his vision as he curled up on the grass in a pool of his own blood. Akaashi covered his ears with his hands, and bit his bottom lip hard. A copper taste flowing into his mouth._

_‘Just shut up already!’ He yelled, grief overbearing his emotions. Yet, before he knew it, he got his wish. For the next time Akaashi looked over at Konaha-_ his Koni- _his breath had stopped, and his movements no more._

_Konoha was dead, and Akaashi had killed him._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the shortness of this chapter- I’m just not a huge fan of flashbacks, but kind of needed them for plot progression🙈 I also want to get back into writing BokuAka from now on, so wanted to get the previous ship out of the way💁♀️ 
> 
> Thanks for being patient! I’m working on the next chapter right now, so back to my fave boys ASAP🥺🙈


	9. The Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The meeting between the pretty-gossip-squad commences, and will the truth be revealed about Akaashi’s past?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m sorry for the almost 2 week wait! Had some adult life stuff to deal with unfortunately, ugh. My stupid car broke for starters😂  
> Anyways, enjoy some BokuAka fluffs and dramatic content!

‘Kashiiii? Are you okay?’ 

‘Kaashi, hey! Earth to ‘kaashi!’ 

Akaashi was frozen in place. He dared not move. Tendo... he said Konaha didn’t betray him.  _ Was he telling the truth? How did he even know about his life? How did he know about Konaha anyway? _ Questions shot through his mind like a bullet train, rapidly overwhelming his senses. He vaguely felt his eyelid twitching, followed by a sudden shake of his shoulders which forcefully pulled him back to reality.

He slowly looked up at whoever shook him, and saw Bokuto staring down at him with a concerned look. 

‘I just saw Tendo leaving. What did he do to you?’ He asked, anger lacing his words as he presumed the worst. Akaashi tried to reply, yet he found that he couldn’t form words still, and merely snapped his mouth shut with a clash of teeth. He didn’t feel anything in that moment- not even disbelief-  _ what was he supposed to feel? Anger? Relief? What, exactly?  _ A gentle finger under his chin tilting his head up focused him back on Bokuto, who frowned down at him. ‘Did he hurt you?’ He asked simply, allowing Akaashi to answer with a shake of his head. He hadn’t hurt him, at least not physically. He hurt him mentally a lot with  _ that _ bombshell. Bokuto sighed, and let his hand fall from under Akaashi’s jaw, clearly thankful to hear his cellmate was okay. 

With that, the larger of the two friends reached out to ease the firm grip Akaashi held onto the covers with, gracing the slightly calloused pad of his thumb across the smooth knuckles beneath his touch, to subtly encourage relaxing. The soft motion made Akaashi’s breath hitch, and he fully let go of the covers as Bokuto pushed their hands together, lining their finger up as best he could. 

With barely a second of time passing, Akaashi realised that he had never felt so focused on something as much as the comforting pressure being applied to his palms, in that moment. His hands were bigger than Bokuto’s, much to their mutual surprise. Mainly due to Akaashi’s long, slender fingers. Bokuto’s were thicker, and clearly stronger. It made Akaashi blush a little- noticing such things- but he looked up into his cellmate’s eyes regardless, and found an almost loving gaze looking down at him. Bokuto was the first to speak as he intertwined their fingers.

‘Whatever it is that happened, you can tell me, okay?’ His voice barely above a whisper as he took a seat next to Akaashi, their thighs brushing slightly as he sat his back against the wall the same as the other. Their hands readjusting slightly, but never letting go. The hold they had on each other was tight, but not restricting.  _ It felt incredible.  _ Akaashi hadn’t realised just how touch starved he really was, and he felt a little silly at the thought, but it was better than dwelling on what had just happened. Although, he figured he really should start talking Bokuto, and trusting him more. He knew he could.  _Look what happened last time though._ His inner monologue supplied, helpfully. 

He physically shook his head to clear his intrusive thoughts, and looked to his left in Bokuto’s general direction. It never failed to surprise Akaashi just how soft and gentle his fellow inmate could really be, considering his slightly dysfunctional personality. Hesitating a little- his instincts  _ screaming _ not to trust again- Akaashi began explaining what had really happened in his past, and what had occurred between him and Tendo previously. 

Bokuto sat patiently, frowning all the same at the sheer darkness of the story, and nodding his understanding now and then. Akaashi appreciated how intently he was paying attention, even though he knew how easy it was to distract him. His mind briefly wondered back to the first time he had really spoken to Oikawa in his cell, when Bokuto had busied himself with a book about space, like it was one of the wonders of the world. 

As he neared the end of his story, he noticed their hands were still pressed together, a much needed anchor for them both during that difficult moment. _What even_ _ was _ _the feeling that heated his cheeks?_ The grip they held onto each other with so solid, and so firm, it was like nothing either man had ever felt in their lives. Criminals don’t deserve to feel good, but hell, did they feel just that. 

With one final squeeze, Bokuto slid his hand away and moved to rest his arm across Akaashi’s shoulders. 

‘I’m sorry to hear about all of that, Akaashi... but, you wanna know what I think?’ He asked, cheering the drab atmosphere up just with the pitch of his voice. Akaashi allowed himself to smile a little, although it didn’t quite reach his eyes, and nodded. Bokuto pinched him on the arm slightly, making the smaller of the two flinch in a panic, which drew a deep chuckle from Bokuto before he continued. ‘I think that it all sucks, and it’s extra sad if it turns out that Tendo is telling the truth about... your ex boyfriend... but, that’s all in the past! You can’t change it, and even though it’s bad, and terrible, and suckish... you can choose to leave it all behind, and start anew with what you have now!’ He said confidently, puffing his chest out and setting a proud expression on his face. 

A slightly awkward silence followed, with Bokuto too busy being proud of himself to notice, and Akaashi raising one eyebrow at his wisdom. He wasn’t wrong but...

‘I loved him, Bokuto-san. It’s a bit more difficult than just choosing to forget... plus, I actually  killed him.’ He deadpanned, now looking straight ahead at the open cell door in front of them. He understood that his cellmate was trying to help, and he was right after all, but leaving what had happened- and what he did- behind,  _just like that_ ,  was easier said than done. 

The retracting of Bokuto’s arm pulled him back to the present, and the dejected look on his face almost made him want to roll his eyes.

‘You’re right, ‘kaashi. That was kind of dumb of me to say, huh?’ He asked, looking down at his hands that rested limply in his lap. Akaashi sighed, crossing his legs and turning to face Bokuto. 

‘Bokuto-san, you’re right. There’s nothing that can be done now, but what Tendo said changes things. If Konoha really didn’t rat me out...’ he trailed off, feeling the sting of salty tears prick at his eyes at the mention of his ex’s name. ‘...then  _ who did _ _?’_ He whispered, his hands forming fists as he squeezed his eyes shut to prevent his tears from showing again. 

Before anything else could happen, Bokuto shifted next to him and Akaashi felt the entire weight of his cellmate fall on top of him, as he was forced to the mattress at a slightly awkward angle. He hit the bunk with a sharp intake of breath, and felt Bokuto wrap his arms around his torso, his legs also snaking around his own. They were completely and totally tangled up in a maze of limbs. Akaashi’s narrow eyes flew open and stared at the bunk above him whilst his fellow inmate held him insanely close, his fingers tracing random shapes across his back- with obvious difficulty from the added weight. 

‘’Kaashi, you think I’m right?’ He asked, his voice slightly louder than Akaashi would like with his mouth right next to his ear, but he nodded anyway. The fact that Bokuto was depressed all but two seconds ago, but suddenly became elated, actually didn’t even shock him anymore. ‘Well, then I’ll help you move forward! So will Kuroo, and Kenma, and Oikawa, and Iwaiz... maybe not so much Iwaizumi, but you have all of us! Maybe even Ukai and Takeda and...’ he rambled, still holding Akaashi in a relentless, death-like grip. 

Although he could barely breathe, and felt insanely overwhelmed, Akaashi couldn’t help but listen to Bokuto’s insane ramblings that he spewed out; a list of people that could help, and ways to ‘move forward’. The former grinned, finally moving his stiff hands- that were pinned to his sides- to link up behind Bokuto’s back. The larger inmate really did have a way with making him forget his troubles, even at such a dire time for him. He even felt a small laugh escape his lips, because although his situation really did  suck , he really could move forward, with the help of his weirdo cellmate, and his friends. 

Even if they were stuck in prison. 

——- ——-

It took a while for Bokuto to actually get off Akaashi. He only moved when he felt his stomach complaining loudly from missing lunch, and so he made his move toward the cell door to grab something from Kuroo- apparently he was rather good at stashing things in his cell for later use. 

Once he was gone, and his comforting rambling was no longer present, Akaashi’s thoughts attempted to flood his mind once more. He felt like he was on the verge of a breakdown, that was for sure. He needed Bokuto back.  _ Weak _ . He squeezed his eyes closed, and sat on the edge of the bunk, gripping the material of his jumpsuit that covered his knees. He needed a distraction.

The thought barely had the time to manifest itself in his brain, when the universe decided to take pity on him,  _ for once _ , and Oikawa poked his head around the doorframe. 

‘Ya-ho.’ He cooed, fully appearing as he called out. Before Akaashi could answer, his fellow inmate waltzed into his cell like he owned the place, making a beeline for the free space next to him on the lower bunk. ‘So, Aka-chan, I just saw Kenma and Suga finishing up from kitchen duty, and I invited them to our super important mission discussion. I am so ready to take down that  asshole ...’ he said, growling the last part like a man possessed. ‘If we can bring down that annoying side kick of his too, that would be fab.’ He muttered, his chin held up high in a huff. ‘Y’know what he did to me at lunch? He wrote ‘join us’ in ketchup on a napkin, and slid it over to me! I mean, who does that?’ He ranted, leaning back on his hands with a pout. Akaashi smiled lightly at the picture forming in his head, of a pissy Oikawa getting pestered at lunch by an oblivious Ushijima. 

Although Akaashi wasn’t really feeling up to this meeting anymore, he knew it was important, for Hinata’s sake above all. He knew how much he meant to Bokuto, and the smaller inmate was growing on himself too, truth be told. He was the epitome of innocence, despite being a guilty criminal.  _ That makes no sense, stupid. _

Before anything else could be said on the matter of Ushijima, a displeased looking Kageyama appeared in the doorway, with an obviously nervous Hinata standing small behind him. He looked paler than the bedsheets they slept on every night, and looked about a second away from vomiting all over the floor, as he grasped his stomach tightly. Again, without being invited in, the two new comers strolled in and sat themselves on the floor. Kageyama sat crossed legged, and Hinata sat closely next to him, one of his legs resting gently over his friend’s knee as he curled up against his side.  _ They clearly aren’t hiding anything anymore.  _ The inky-haired inmate silently wrapped an arm around the smaller man, a scowl still sitting on his face.

‘Alright, what’s the plan then? We don’t have forever.’ Kageyama growled, his free hand clenched into a fist. Thankfully, Oikawa took the lead and replied so that Akaashi didn’t have to.

‘We’re just waiting on Kenma and Suga. It’s better with more of us.’ He stated matter-of-factly, still leaning back on his hands. Kageyama made a noise of disagreement, and tightened the grip he had on Hinata’s shoulder. ‘Don’t worry, chibi-chan. I’d kill the entire mafia myself before I let anything happen to you!’ Oikawa said, exaggerating by a long shot, and throwing up a peace sign. Thankfully, it drew a small laugh from the orange-haired inmate, lifting the tense atmosphere, if only a little. 

They all sat in silence for a while, Akaashi only moving to pull his legs up to his chest. He was weirdly enjoying the much needed company from his friends- considering the circumstances- but he needed comfort, so he hugged himself as tightly as he could, which Oikawa noticed in his peripheral. He nudged him, and let his hand rest on Akaashi’s back as he raised his eyebrows in a silent question. The latter merely shook his head, and rested his forehead against his knees, shutting his eyes as he did so. He was thankful that Oikawa hadn’t removed his hand.  _ When had he become so needy? _

Not long after, he heard the familiar voice of Sugawara growing louder, and so he looked up to see him and Kenma walk into the cell, the latter fiddling with what seemed to be a stress ball as he climbed to sit on the top bunk above Oikawa. Suga took a seat next to Hinata on the floor, and rubbed comforting circles on his back as he spoke. 

‘We heard about what happened. Don’t worry, Shoyo. I would never let anyone so much as look at you badly, you know that right?’ He asked, narrowing his eyes with determination. ‘I would rip their eyeballs from their sockets.’ He deadpanned.  _ Geez, would it suck to be on Suga’s bad side or what?  _ Oikawa clapped his hands to gather everyone’s attention, and stood up with his hands on his hips, moving to the side of the room. 

‘Okay enough empty threats,  _ Mr Refreshing. _ ’ He said with a playful glare, which he received in return also. ‘What is the actual plan here, pretty-gossip-squad?’ A pregnant pause from everyone filled the room, followed by a groan from Kageyama.

‘We aren’t calling ourselves that, it’s stupid...’ He muttered. ‘...and I say we kill him.’ He growled, rolling his eyes like it was obvious, but Hinata sat up straight, a determined expression painted on his baby face.

‘No. We can’t kill him, or we’ll just be as bad as him!’ He almost yelled, receiving a collective shush from everyone in the room, including Kenma. He turned a bright shade of red, and buried himself back into Kageyama’s side again. Akaashi sighed heavily, all attention turning to him. 

‘We know his weakness now, do we not?’ He asked the oblivious looking faces surrounding him, as they all stared with confused expressions, clearly completely lost. He sighed again, and pinched the bridge of his nose, slightly grazing the scar beneath his eye, encouraging him to carry on as he reminded himself of the dark memory. ‘Ushijima. Now, we don’t know how deep those feelings go, but it’s safe to assume he’s rather...  _ fond _ of him.’ He finished, cringing a little at the thought of what that implied. Suga dramatically gasped and covered Hinata’s ears just in case he went further, the latter shaking his head to free himself from the mothering grasp. 

The sound of Kenma shifting above him filled his ears, and sure enough, his legs draped over the side, kicking back and forth. 

‘Okay but we can’t kill _him_ either. We’d still be stooping to his level.’ He pointed out, staring at the floor. ‘None of us are exactly very strong either, so we can’t even hurt him so bad that they would surrender.’ He almost whispered. Akaashi sat forward, leaning on his knees and narrowing his eyes in thought.  _ They could always just threaten to expose them... _

A shadow fell over the cell, as the group looked up to find a curious looking Bokuto and Kuroo stood in the doorway.

‘Why don’t you just threaten to tell everyone about their relationship? You think yourself a genius blackmailer, Akaashi? I’m disappointed...’ Kuroo jested, hands on his hips like he had just read Akaashi’s mind somehow. The latter scowled. 

‘Thank you for your input, pain-in-the-ass-Kuroo-san.’ He muttered, glancing to the side. ‘I was just about to suggest that.’ He insisted as Bokuto climbed his way over he bodies sitting on the floor, making his way to the space next to his cellmate on the lower bunk. He fell to the mattress with a deep sigh, and leant back on his elbows.

‘I don’t like thinking about you talking to Tendo, ‘kaashi. Look what he did to yo-‘ Bokuto blabbed as he gestured to his facial scar with his head. Akaashi’s eyes flew open.

‘Yes, okay! Thank you, Bokuto-san.’ He shouted in a panic, making some of the others flinch at the sudden outburst. He frowned, and sat up straight in his space on the edge of the bed. ‘Sorry I didn’t tell you, but I just didn’t want you to be in any danger.’ He admitted, but before Bokuto could say anything to that, he carried on. ‘I’ll do it. I may need help cornering him though, so who would be up for that?’ He asked to the room. He had barely finished talking when Kageyama raised his hand.

‘I’ll get him for you. Can’t promise he’ll be alive by the time you get to him though...’ he threatened, his hair casting a darkness over his face as he snarled, gripping Hinata tightly again. Oikawa snorted at this, and leant against the wall he was stood near. 

‘I never thought  you  of all people would be so protective,  _Tobio-chan_...’ He leered as Kageyama looked up at him and glared. Before he could reply, Oikawa carried on. ‘...but I’ll help you. A little revenge will feel great.’ He said, mindlessly reaching down to rub his knee. Akaashi watched their bitter exchange, and couldn’t help but get side lined by how hostile they were being toward one another.  _ Was it a good idea they help each other if they dislike one another so much?  _ _They couldn’t afford for the plan to backfire after all._ However, he decided to go along with it regardless, and ask Oikawa about it at a later date. He nodded. 

‘Okay. Tomorrow after lunch, get him to the storage cupboard near the yard. I’ll leave you to figure out how you’ll do that. I’ll be sure to revise anything useful I have against him.’ They all stood to leave not long after that, save for Bokuto, Kuroo and Oikawa. ‘Kageyama-chan? Don’t hurt him too much if that’s what you’re planning.’ He warned, as Kageyama reached the entrance with a loose arm slung around Hinata. The former glanced over his shoulder and frowned. 

‘Yeah, sure. Whatever.’ And they left without another word. Sugawara wasn’t far behind them.

‘I’ll be sure to stay with Shoyou whilst this is going on.’ He informed Akaashi with a large smile, and disappeared to follow- what Akaashi was dubbing them- his children. Suga was like a mother hen to the younger inmates he had noticed, constantly worrying about them, especially Hinata. The next inmate to near the door to leave was Kenma, who still subconsciously meddled with his stress ball, not even looking up from it as he spoke. 

‘I’ll come with you, Akaashi.’ He mumbled, taking a step closer to where Kuroo was still standing near the entrance, with his arms crossed. 

‘Like hell you will, Kitten.’ He warned with a pout. Kenma merely rolled his eyes.

‘You’re not my mother, Kuro. I’ll be fine with Akaashi. I like him.’ He said, speaking quietly, and looking up in time to catch Akaashi’s eye from across the cell. The latter allowed himself to smile at this, and felt a small blush cross his cheeks.  _Was this what it felt like to have friends?_ He wasn’t opposed to it. 

Kuroo made a loud, inhuman noise of complaint, drawing their attention back to him.

‘You don’t say nice stuff like that to me, Kenma.’ He whined, slumping his shoulders as the smallest inmate shuffled past him, pushing himself up onto his tip-toes to whisper something inaudibly in Kuroo’s ear. It didn’t take long for the latter’s eyes to widen, and a goofy smirk spread across his face. The other inmates awkwardly sat watching the slightly intimate interaction between their friends. Before anyone could say anything, however, the moment was over, and Kenma had disappeared, leaving behind a star struck Kuroo. Akaashi could have sworn he was dribbling. Thankfully, Oikawa broke the weird silence that had settled on across the room with a small cough. 

‘So, Aka-chan, why were you looking so glum when I first got here earlier? If it’s to do with our target for tomorrow, you should totally tell us. It might help!’ He urged, not moving from his space leaning against the wall. Akaashi considered this, and he supposed there was no harm in telling those closest to him. He was obviously closest to Bokuto- who already knew- and he and Oikawa had become strangely good friends in a short amount of time, after forming an alliance. As for Kuroo, he hadn’t spoken to him all that much really. With being in the hospital and also being on bed rest for so long, he had barley spoken to anyone. However, he knew Bokuto trusted him, and that was enough for him. 

‘Alright, well-‘ he began, but felt a heavy hand land on his knee. He looked up to see Bokuto’s concerned face looking straight at him.

‘’Kaashi, you don’t have to say it if it’s too much. They  _ will _ understand.’ He said, a slightly threatening tone taking over toward the end, and staring at the others. Akaashi nodded once, and placed a delicate hand on top of Bokuto’s, which made his head snap back toward him in shock. Akaashi smiled a little, and brushed his thumb over the knuckles beneath his palm.

‘It’s okay, Bokuto-san. I trust them.’ He admitted, before adding, ‘I just hope they know what it means for them if they betray me.’ He deadpanned, adding a tilt of his head. 

Kuroo held his hands up in surrender, and grinned. Oikawa stepped forward with his hands on his hips. 

‘We get it Aka-chan, you killed whoever betrayed you last, next trauma please.’ He sassed, earning himself a slap on the back of the head from Kuroo. ‘Ouch! What the hell, Kuroo-chan?’ He complained loudly, rubbing the affected area. Kuroo laughed, and leant on Oikawa’s shoulder. 

‘Iwaizumi would have wanted someone to step in right about then, I’m sure of it.’ He joked, earning himself a shove from the other man. 

‘Only Iwa-chan is allowed to lay his hands on me.’ He huffed. ‘In like, any way he wants-‘ he said before getting cut off by Kuroo. 

‘Okay! Time for that story, huh, Akaashi?’ He interrupted, backing away to create some distance between him and Oikawa and standing near the door once more. 

Without lifting his hand away from Bokuto’s, Akaashi lifted his legs up onto the bunk and crossed them. 

‘Tendo informed me earlier that Konaha wasn’t the one to hand me over to the police.’ He bluntly informed the room. He figured there was no point in tiptoeing around the issue, and decided to just bite the bullet and go for it. Oikawa crouched in front of Akaashi and frowned, like he was thinking about something. 

‘Oh, that’s your ex, right? You mentioned him in the hospital.’ Oikawa said, remembering their time they spent together with Ennoshita in the infirmary. ‘I can’t believe you kept calling Kou-chan by your ex-boyfriend’s name! Embarrassing...’ he sang, clutching his stomach as the beginning of a laugh escaped him. Akaashi froze, his hand slipping from it’s place on Bokuto’s as he slowly turned to face him. _He did what?_ His cellmate was also frozen to the spot, his eyes wider than Akaashi had ever seen them. His mouth also hung open unceremoniously. Oikawa’s laugh trailed off, and he looked up at the two men in front of him. ‘Wait, Kou-chan, you didn’t tell him about any of that?’ He asked loudly, shock dripping from every word. Bokuto squeaked in panic, and pushed himself into Akaashi’s personal space as he spoke loudly in attempt at explaining himself. Akaashi sat frozen to the spot all the same. 

‘Ah, I forgot! I’m sorry ‘kaashi, please forgive me! I was going to tell you, I really was, but then I got distracted by... well, pretty much everything! Kuroo, didn’t I say that I’d tell h... Kuroo? Bro, what’s wrong?’ His voice switching to concern as he looked over at Kuroo in the doorway. He was gripping the frame like it was life or death, and he had gone incredibly pale as he stared at the floor. The others also looked over, frowns on both of their faces at the state of their friend. Bokuto stood up and walked over to his best friend, placing a steady hand on the back of his neck. ‘Kuroo?’ The latter looked up, meeting eyes with Akaashi, looking like he was on the verge of a mental breakdown.

‘Did you say  _ Konaha _ ?’ He questioned, his voice breaking at the end. Everyone went silent, with Akaashi narrowing his eyes, his fingers twitching at the sudden turn of events. 

‘Yes. Konaha is my ex-boyfriend, who I _thought_ raided my apartment and stole my laptop, amongst other things, and handed them over to the police. Tendo told me earlier that it wasn’t actually him.’ He informed the others. Oikawa frowned.

‘Like you should trust anything he says. Who else would have randomly broken into your flat?’ He asked, moving to sit next to Akaashi on the bed. 

‘Unless his... associates did it? I had a lot of clients. Maybe the group he’s a part of didn’t like how big I was becoming on my own. Makes sense.’ He guessed, shrugging. ‘I don’t  want to believe him, because that would mean I...’  _ killed him for no reason. _ Leaving the rest unsaid, he cleared his throat and stood up, staring at Kuroo. Something didn't sit right with him. ‘Why are you so concerned all of a sudden?’ There was no spite behind his words, but there had to be a reason that Kuroo was acting so strange over the mention of Konaha's name. The former paled even further.

'I- I have to go.' He whispered, ducking from Bokuto's grip and almost sprinting from the room and down the stairs opposite. Bokuto stepped out of the cell to go after him, but Oikawa appeared by his side, and stopped him by placing a hand on his shoulder. The latter leaned in slightly, and spoke under his breath. 

'I'll go, Kou-chan. You should be a good fake-boyfriend and stay with Aka-chan. He looks like he about to kill everyone... or cry... or both. Who knows?' He suggested, making his way over to the stairs, before turning back to face Bokuto once more. 'I don't think any of us involved in today's... discussion, should be left alone right now.' He said, serious expression set on his pretty features. Before Bokuto could respond, however, Oikawa smiled brightly and threw up a peace sign, flicking his hair in the process. 'Well, laters.' He called, before practically skipping down the stairs.

Bokuto raised and eyebrow, but shrugged to himself before making his way back inside the cell. Akaashi was still stood where he had been beforehand, and he stared at the wall with the poster on it. Bokuto could feel the tension in the air, so he let out an awkward huff of a laugh, and rubbed the back of his neck. 

'I can get rid of that if you want me to, 'kaashi.' He offered, standing in the doorway as he waited for a response that didn't come. ‘’Kaashi?’ He asked, stepping into his space once again, finally shaking his cellmate from his trance. 

‘Sorry, Bokuto-san. I have a lot going on right now.’ He said, his eyebrows knitted together in a tight frown, his fingers twitching at his sides. With this, Bokuto smiled and reached down to steady them. 

‘Don’t worry ‘kaashi! We’ll figure it all out together, and no one can stop us! Hey hey hey!’ He yelled at the top of his lungs, making Akaashi flinch. The latter could have sworn he heard someone yell ‘shut up’ back, but he let it slide. 

As he looked up into Bokuto’s passionate eyes, he couldn’t help but think to himself that- no matter what either of them had done in the past, and no matter what he had told the man standing before him- he was unflinchingly loyal, and  _ incredible _ . He was the most amazing  star  he had ever seen .  The ones up above the clouds, and those falling from the sky, had nothing on Bokuto. He shone so brightly in the never ending swarm of orange jumpsuits, and dark cells with drab bedding and musky smells, that it was difficult for him to even comprehend. In that moment, Akaashi knew that he would never get tired of seeing that. 

He tugged at Bokuto’s sleeve to bring him closer, and wrapped his arms around him in the first real hug he had ever given out willingly. He wasn’t great with emotions, but he knew what he was feeling there and then. 

He buried his face into the crook of Bokuto’s neck, breathing in his sweet scent and gripping his jumpsuit with all his strength. He never wanted to let go. 

Bokuto’s arms moved up to hug him back, and his one hand rested on the back of his neck, ever so gently pulling at the hairs there. Akaashi had to hold back a shameful moan, and instead stepped forward to close the last bit of possible space between them- his knee slotting between Bokuto’s legs ever so slightly. To distract himself from the hair pulling, Akaashi drew mindless shapes over his cellmate’s back, all of his worries melting away, even just for a few moments. The warmth radiating from his cellmate’s body whilst they clung to each other was mesmerising to the smaller inmate, and he figured that having Bokuto as his personal heater for the rest of their lives wouldn’t be such a bad thing. 

They stayed that way for what felt like an eternity of bliss to them, but eventually Bokuto began to fidget, slightly bouncing from one foot to the other. So Akaashi figured he would ask him what was wrong as he stepped backwards, only for Bokuto to grab hold of him by the wrists. 

‘I- I don’t want to add to your list of worries, ‘kaashi... but, I-‘ he began, only to be cut off by Oikawa half sprinting and half limping back into their cell. The two men inside practically jumped apart, side eyeing each other as Oikawa leant against the wall as he caught his breath, apparently unaware of what had happened. He stood up straight, and looked at Akaashi with wide eyes.

‘It’s Kuroo! He got into a fight!’ He yelled, hands balled into fists. Bokuto and Akaashi looked at each other, both their eyes wide in surprise before Oikawa carried on. ‘I couldn’t stop him- he’s fighting with  Ushijima !’ 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof-  
> I hate that I’ve made Ushijima and Tendo the bad guys😂 But they fit the profile the most, I’m sorry🥲 But yeah, I’m totally writing my next fic with wholesome Tendo content😂  
> Also, it has come to my attention that I’ve been spelling Konoha wrong this whole time... my bad! I’ll correct it from now on if/ when he comes up!


	10. Endless Thoughts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fight commences, and conflicting feelings assault Akaashi’s mind as he struggles with his demons, on the inside, and also on the outside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !!!!!!!!Graphic description of fighting and blood!!!!!!!!
> 
> I am so sorry for the wait on a new chapter!  
> My inconsistency will be the death of me, I’m sure. I had a little bit of family stuff to deal with, but I’m getting there! Thank you so much for being patient with me!🖤

It didn’t take the three guys long before they arrived on the bottom floor of the cell block, greeted by a huge crowd forming around what could only be presumed as Kuroo and Ushijima fighting. At the sickening sound of fists connecting with flesh, Akaashi could only inwardly cringe as they fought their way past the other prisoners, and to the front of the group. Almost the entire prison seemed to be gathered around, witnessing and betting on who would come out on top. 

As he felt himself slipping away from the others, he felt a solid grip form around his wrist, and a sharp yank forward in someone’s direction. As he got his bearings, he saw that it was Bokuto. They were almost at the front. 

‘Stay close, ‘kaashi.’ He yelled over the loud shouts of encouragement, and shuffling feet of everyone around them. Akaashi nodded his understanding, and pinched the side of his cellmate’s jumpsuit so he didn’t lose him. 

  
They pushed past the last line of prisoners, and finally laid eyes on what was going on. Kuroo had Ushijima on his knees and in a headlock, squeezing tightly enough that the latter was slowly turning a subtle shade of red from the lack of air. The expression that was cast across Kuroo’s face was something that Akaashi could only describe as  feral.  His teeth were bared, muscles taught and breathing ragged, like he was trying to tear his prey to shreds. He looked more like a wild hyena now more than ever, and Akaashi knew of only one person who could tame him, and he was nowhere in sight. If Kenma couldn’t calm Kuroo down, the next best thing stood right next to him.  _Bokuto_.

Akaashi looked up into the startled, overwhelmed face of his friend, and nudged him to grab his attention. As he looked down, an utterly lost look in his eyes, Akaashi tiptoed up to shout closer to his ear. If he was honest, he didn’t care all that much what happened to either of the guys fighting, but he knew how much Kuroo meant to Bokuto.

‘Bokuto-san, you have to stop him before the guards get involved!’ He yelled as loud as he could over the snarls and chants from the other inmates. Bokuto opened his mouth to speak, but snapped it shut again as a piercing whistle sounded across the room- the guards were on the way over- and so he took a bold step forward towards Kuroo.

‘Kuroo, bro, you have to stop! What are you even doing, man?’ He asked, begging for even a little of Kuroo’s attention, as the latter’s grip only held on impossibly tighter. ‘Oi, are you listening to me?’ He growled, stepping forward to intervene physically. As he made a grab for his best friend’s arm, Kuroo snarled at him.

‘Don’t fucking touch me, Bo! This motherfucker deserves everything he’s getting!’ He spat, digging his nails into Ushijima’s skin on his neck. The larger man let out a hiss, as he swung a fist up and connected it with Kuroo’s jaw, making him stumble and fall to his back. He wasted no time in jumping on top of him, and punching him in the face with extreme force. Bokuto rushed forward to lift Ushijima off of Kuroo, only to be caught in the face by the back of the largest inmate’s head, as Kuroo furiously kicked him off. Kuroo jumped to his feet, and started his assault on Ushijima once again, ignoring how Bokuto had fallen to the floor with blood dripping from his nose. Akaashi’s eyes went wide at the sight, and he rushed to his side. 

‘Bokuto-san, are you okay?’ He asked, planting both his palms on either side of Bokuto’s bloody face. He nodded, and pushed them both to their feet, watching as the two inmates in front of them carried on throwing their punches. Bokuto held both of Akaashi’s small wrists in his strong hands, and guided him backwards to where Oikawa stood. 

‘Keep him here. I have to get involved, so don’t let him come to me.’ Bokuto said to Oikawa as he pressed Akaashi into him. ‘No matter what happens, okay?’ He warned, waiting for the pretty inmate to circle his arms around Akaashi. The latter frowned.

‘I am right here.’ He muttered, knitting his eyebrows together as they spoke about him. Oikawa tightened his hold around him, and they both watched Bokuto stalk towards the fight once more, blood still oozing from his nose and the corner of his left eye. The two friends could only watch as Bokuto bought his leg back, and slammed a heavy kick to Kuroo’s mid section, making him fall to his side on the cold floor.  _He had to stop him some way,_ Akaashi supposed. They looked on as no one even attempted to help break the fight up. In the near distance, the whistles from the guards were growing louder as they neared the centre, but it was obviously proving difficult for them.

Just as they witnessed Ushijima leap to his feet and dive towards Kuroo again, Iwaizumi appeared next to them.

‘What the  _ fuck _ is going on? What did you do Loserkawa?’ He stressed, gripping his hair as he watched his fellow inmates kick the living daylights out of each other. Oikawa recoiled. 

‘Don’t assume it was my fault, Iwachan!’ He whined. ‘You’re so  vulgar , and I don’t like those names.’ He sulked, pouting like there wasn’t a major scene unfolding before their eyes. Iwaizumi started forward to help Bokuto, glancing over his shoulder at Oikawa and grinning. 

‘Shittykawa then.’ 

Akaashi gasped as Kuroo connected a particularly mighty punch into Bokuto’s already bloody nose, making Bokuto stumble back into Iwaizumi. Akaashi tried struggling free from Oikawa’s grasp, but he had to hand it to him, he was stronger than he looked. They both watched Iwa and Bokuto exchange a couple of words, like they were forming a plan, which they immediately tried as they broke away from one another. Bokuto grabbed hold of Kuroo’s arms, and twisted them behind his back, pulling him away from Ushijima, who Iwa was now restraining a couple of metres away. Bokuto leaned down to talk to his best friend. 

‘What the hell, Tetsurou? Why are you fighting with  _ him _ of all people?’ He asked, loud enough for those on the side lines to hear. Kuroo growled, but seemed to physically deflate a little at his voice, like he was finally hearing him. 

‘It was  _ him _ . It was all  _him_!’  He yelled from his gut, angry tears welling at the corners of his eyes. Both inmates restraining the others frowned at this, and looked down at Kuroo. 

‘Bro, you’re making no sense.’ Bokuto muttered, heaving Kuroo back a little as he attempted to break free. 

‘Konoha!’ Kuroo screamed, gritting his teeth. Akaashi froze, just a couple of steps away from him.  _What about him?_ ‘If I hadn’t met him during that raid, I would never have pieced this together, but once I heard his name it was clear! I knew I had seen you before! You’re the guy from the alleyway, and the guy who sent me to that flat...’ He spat, teeth clattering as he lost his mind. ‘...and once I handed over all of that evidence, you’re also the guy who turned me in, and had me _arrested_!’ Mere metres away, Akaashi had gone limp in Oikawa’s arms.  _ What was he hearing right now?  _ ‘I was no use to you after that, right? I did my job, by getting MY hands dirty, and turning Akaashi in... that’s what made me realise it had to be you.’ Kuroo finished, wrenching himself free of Bokuto and slumping to his knees. Ushijima was the next to speak.

‘I do not understand. How did it take you so long to figure out? I wasn’t exactly hiding anything from you.’ He deadpanned, tilting his head to the side and opening up a gash in his neck a little as he did so, causing a fresh stream of blood trickle down his skin. 

Seen as the fight had gotten less interesting to everyone else, the crowd began dispersing, and the guards were able to break through the sea of orange, whistles blaring. Akaashi still couldn’t move, the guards rushing past him a blur as he fell victim to his thoughts. He could vaguely hear Oikawa calling his name, and the tug of his jumpsuit sleeve. Yet, he ignored it in favour of walking towards Kuroo who was now being restrained by Ukai. Nothing else controlled him other than pure, blinded rage, as he shuffled his feet closer. 

As he neared Kuroo, he saw Ukai open his mouth, obviously questioning what he was doing, but he carried on forward, raising a fist and slamming it into Kuroo’s already half beaten face. Then, he did it again, and again, until he was grabbed around the middle and forcefully dragged away. He could feel himself screaming and lashing out as whoever restrained him picked him up into their arms, but he wasn’t there in body or mind. He was locked away I’m the depths of his mind, as he let his feelings consume him, making his decisions for him. His vision blurred, spinning the greys of the prison walls together as he sunk further into his thoughts.  _Kuroo was the one that turned him in?_ _Well he was as good as dead. At his next chance, he would kill him. Feelings and consequences be damned._ The sting of salty tears spilling down his face soaked into his skin, and melted into his open mouth as he yelled unintelligible words. He could hear the deafening sound of a siren in the distance, which he assumed meant prison lockdown. He’d seen enough TV. 

The constant ringing slowly but surely pulled him back to reality, as he realised he was effortlessly being carried under someone’s arm up the stairs of the cell block. The only thing that completely pulled him back, was the familiar scent of sweet chocolate and lime overwhelming his senses. He shook his head, and looked up to see Bokuto frowning, and awkwardly attempting to blink away drying blood from the corner of his eye. Akaashi gasped.  _ What had he done? He had just brutally attacked a restrained inmate in front of a bunch of guards!  _

‘I- I-‘ he stuttered, feeling himself shake at the thought of what could happen next, and the thought of Konoha lying dead at his feet, and the thought of Kuroo being the real reason he was in this position, and- 

Before he could think anymore, Bokuto was placing him down onto the lower bunk in their cell, and moving his hands all over him in an attempt at checking for injuries. Akaashi blinked slowly, his tears still freely dripping down his cheeks. His cellmate’s hands wondered down his arms, squeezing his wrists to check for broken bones, and finally skimming over his bloodied knuckles. At this, Akaashi hissed in pain at the feel of calloused fingers brushing against his torn skin. Bokuto frowned, grasping the longer fingers underneath his with purpose. 

‘‘Kaashi, just so you know, they’ll probably be here to take us to solitary confinement soon enough.’ He explained, kneeling on the cold floor in front of Akaashi’s legs. ‘I don’t really know how long we’ll have to stay there but...’ he trailed off, his hair drooping downwards along with his gaze. ‘...we’ll be separated, that’s for sure. So before they come I need to ask, why did you do that?’ He asked, gripping his friend even tighter. ‘It was kinda dumb.’ He added. Akaashi suddenly felt a slight stab through his heart at Bokuto’s words, though he knew he was correct. If Bokuto was good at anything, it was certainly at being honest. His words clenched at his heart all the same, as he thought back to the fight. He really had let his emotions take over him. Akaashi shook his head and looked away.

‘I allowed myself to be overcome with emotion, and I was no longer in control of myself.’ He admitted, his voice a mere whisper above the blaring ringing of the prison lockdown bell. Bokuto hummed.

‘Ah, you know what did it then? Nice! Well you’ll be okay and know what to do if you feel the same in the future, then!’ He said happily, letting go of Akaashi and standing up, placing his hands on his hips and puffing his chest out. ‘Time will go super fast in solitary, I’m sure of it!' He said almost excitedly, bouncing on his heels a little as he faced the cell door. The smaller inmate perched on the edge of the bed, his tears slowly drying up as he looked up at Bokuto.  _ How could he be so optimistic at a time like this?  _

‘You’ve been to solitary before, Bokuto-san?’ He questioned with a dry edge to his voice, still recovering from bawling. Bokuto didn’t turn around, but he hung his head and nodded. 

‘I used to fight a lot when I first got here. I was pretty young I guess, and l didn’t like anyone. Prison life is pretty much all I’ve ever know, ‘kaashi.’ He admitted, running a hand through his flattened hair. The atmosphere suddenly took a dip into uncomfortable territory, and Akaashi awkwardly shifted on the bed. He looked at the man in front of him, a star losing his shine in the confine of grey walls surrounding them. He sighed, thinking hard on a way to pull his cellmate from his dejected mood, his sights landing on the volleyball under the desk.

‘Bokuto-san, how about you teach me volleyball when we’re out of solitary?’ He suggested, picking out what he figured Bokuto enjoyed, and thankfully, the latter whipped his body around to look down at him, a large smile on his face. Before the younger inmate could react, Bokuto lunged down to grab his shoulders, absolutely beaming. 

‘You mean it, ‘Kaashi? Really?’ He practically squeaked. Akaashi felt a small tug at the corner of his lips as he nodded his reply. He already knew how to play- he played as a setter in his high school team, and even became captain for his third year- but he figured that, for now at least, he could feign his ignorance on the subject for the ease of pulling Bokuto back from the brink. The latter opened his mouth to reply, but footsteps sounded from behind him from the doorway, growing steadily loudly over the ringing of the bell. Both inmates made to look at their intruder, Akaashi standing up in the process, and found Takeda stood before them, gripping his baton tightly. 

‘Bokuto Koutarou, I’m here to tell you that you need to get to the infirmary to sort your injuries out. When you get to the bottom floor, Daichi will escort you there.’ He informed them. ‘Now get going, please.’ He added, stepping to the side to allow Bokuto to get past. The latter huffed. 

‘I don’t need a doctor, I’m feel totally fine!’ He insisted, giving a thumbs up but wincing as he raised his arm. He pouted. ‘Fine. Will we both have to go to solitary?’ He asked as he made his way past Takeda and into the corridor. The guard shook his head.

‘That won’t be necessary. Ukai made the decision to leave you out of this mess, regarding how Bokuto tried to stop the scuffle, and Akaashi... well, actually I think he just so happens to like you.’ He admitted, rubbing his neck and turning a deep shade of red when he had probably said something he shouldn’t have. ‘Ah, please don’t tell anyone I said that! Besides, I believe the saying is that ‘a secret’s worth depends on the people from whom it must be kept!’’ He proudly concluded. A beat of silence passed over the three of them, Bokuto squinting in thought- clearly trying to process what that meant- and Akaashi merely stood to the side looking indifferent.

‘Very well, Takeda senpai. I appreciate that, and thank you.’ He said simply, seeing a small smile appear on the guard’s lips before the latter turned to walk away, shutting the cell door behind him to close Bokuto away from view. 

A deep, shuddering sigh escaped him then. The bell still rung loudly in the distance, if not just a little muffled from the thick cell door masking the sound a little.  _ How did he get away with what he had done?  _ If anything, he knew himself that he deserved to be sent to solitary, and the blood covering his knuckles reminded him of this. He wasn’t even sure if the blood was his own, which concerned him to no end. Mindlessly, he picked at the frayed skin there, and slumped to the floor with his back against the desk. He could vaguely smell the metallic stench of copper filling the air, and cringed at the memory of his fist connecting with Kuroo’s face, over and over. 

_ Kuroo .  That bastard was going to pay. _

Akaashi gripped his hair tightly, fisting it into his palms as he pulled his knees up to his chest, and buried his head into the crevice it formed. He didn’t really want to hurt Kuroo, but it was becoming insanely difficult to merely forgive and forget. Hell, he didn’t actually want to hurt  _ anyone _ , but did people  _push him_ or what? After all, if it weren’t for Kuroo, he would still be with Konaha and not in damn prison. He didn’t know what to believe in at that moment, and fiercely pushed his fingernails into his scalp as he tried to ascertain some form of sanity. Yet, he screamed. He screamed until he could no longer do so. His voice became hoarse and unrecognisable even to himself. He quite literally didn’t recognise his own screams after what felt like an eternity. 

A substantial amount of time must have passed, because the next thing he knew, the door to the cell was jarred open, shaking Akaashi free of his thoughts. He looked up from his place on the floor-  when had he tipped over onto his side, gripping his ears? \- and saw Ukai towering over him with a deep set frown etched into his features. 

‘Get to your feet, inmate.’ He growled, his arms tightly woven across his chest, and his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Akaashi did so, and vaguely noticed the eerie silence that had fallen over the room, not even a bell rang anymore. ‘Listen kid, I’m here to give you a warning, cus I kind of like you I guess.’ He shrugged. ‘If I catch your ass throwing punches ever again, I will not hesitate to send you to the pit. Got it?’ He warned, glaring at the inmate across from him. Akaashi nodded once, his fingers twitching at his sides. He assumed by ‘the pit’ he meant solitary confinement. Ukai sighed deeply, relaxing his shoulders and placing a heavy hand on Akaashi’s shoulder. ‘You’re the last person I would’ve expected to fight...’ He said, pouting at the thought. ‘...but, I’m kinda cutting you some slack here cus I vaguely overheard what happened. He grassed on you, right?’ A nod of ink black hair confirmed it for him. ‘All things considered, I think you’re a good kid. You just got caught up in some bad shit, and you let your emotions get the better of you more than you care to admit.’ 

A shallow silence sat between the two men for a minute, before Ukai pulled his hand back and made his way to the cell door. ‘We’re having roll call in ten minutes. I suggest you take that time to think about what I said, yeah?’ He said I’ve this shoulder, and with that, he locked the door behind him with a resounding clank. It made Akaashi flinch.  _You let your emotions get the better of you_.  The words echoed in his mind, and he collapsed onto the bottom bunk. Until now, he didn’t really feel like he was capable of feelings, let alone let them get the best of him, but they were never good emotions; anger, loss, resentment. That was all he really felt these days, and it was exhausting. 

Bokuto suddenly popped into his head, with his infectious smile, and do-good attitude;  Inspired, amazed, happy. 

With that, the door to the cell was once again opened, and the man that was on his mind stood before him. A white, stick on eyepatch covered his one eye, and a small plaster ran across his nose, with... _owls on them?_ On further inspection, he saw his one arm was held close to his exposed chest in a sling. Akaashi’s eyes widened, and he dragged his feet forwards to get a closer look at Bokuto’s bruised and abused body. Regardless, the big idiot grinned widely.

‘It really isn’t as bad as it looks, ‘agaashi! Ennoshita said the sling was ‘a formality so that he wasn’t fired for not helping’, or something like that.’ He said, waving him off with his good arm. Before the smaller inmate could even retort, Bokuto spoke again. ‘So I can totally still show you how to play volleyball! I’m sure the guards won’t mind us getting some extra exercise in the yard! Especially if we ask Ukai. Y’know, I think he likes you. He totally wouldn’t let anyone else off with the way you hit Kuroo, and...’ he trailed off remembered the previous events. Although he cringed at the thought of beating his cellmate’s friend, he was feeling a lot better with Bokuto back by his side, and spoke for the first time in what felt like forever, still sounding hoarse however.

‘I- I don’t know what to say, Bokuto-san. I’m sorry I... punched your best friend in the face.’ 

‘Six times.’ Bokuto interjected, raising his one eyebrow. 

‘Yes. Yes, six times.’ He repeated, although he didn’t remember that actually happening- it was all a blur after all. ‘However, this isn’t something I can simply get over.’ He admitted, his throat burning with every syllable he spoke from his meltdown. He looked to the floor to avoid Bokuto’s gaze, but felt thick fingers gracing underneath his chin, and lifting his head to look up. His cellmate had stepped closer without him even noticing.

‘Akaashi, he is my best bro, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t deserve all he got today.’ He whispered, his one eye holding Akaashi’s gaze indifferently. ‘He started that fight- we just finished it.’ He said with a hint of humour in his voice. The smaller of the two snorted a little, but didn’t look away once until they heard a shrill whistle sound out from the corridor, and a shout to announce role call. Bokuto backed away, and hesitated before stepping out of the cell. ‘’Agaashi, I like you an’ all, but you deserve to be here too. Just like all of us, right? Kuroo didn’t kill Konaha, y’know?’ He said, his voice barely above a whisper again, and with that, he stepped outside.

The feel of black hair dusting against his forehead tickled as Akaashi hung his head in shame.  _He was right._ He was the one that pulled the trigger. The damn hyena had just given him a little push. The blood was on his own hands, and the reminder of that quite literally speckled his knuckles and fingertips. 

As he stepped out of the cell, Bokuto smiled down at him, and gently pushed him to stand on the other side of the doorframe, before standing back in his own position slightly leaning back. The words from his cellmate sat with him as he took in his surroundings. He looked past Bokuto-  _ and his bare chest-  _ and saw Iwaizumi in similar shape. Akaashi hadn’t realised he had been so involved. As he looked over, they briefly made eye contact. Iwaizumi raised an eyebrow, and mouthed ‘you okay?’ as a guard that he hadn’t seen before began walking past them down their corridor, checking off inmates names on his list, supposedly. He nodded, and mouthed back, ‘Oikawa?’ unsure of what had happened to his friend after the scuffle. The look on his fellow inmate’s face turned upside down rather quickly, and he shook his head and shrugged, before straightening up in time for the guard to walk past him.  He didn’t know either.  He couldn’t help but hope he was okay. 

A loud and sudden bell rang once, and all inmates began shuffling back inside their cells, including Bokuto. Akaashi went to follow him, but a ‘psst’ caught his attention from the cell door next to his that wasn’t Iwaizumi’s. He looked to the side, and saw two inmates standing an arm’s length away from him.  _ Why was everyone so creepy in this place?  _ They looked identical, save for the different coloured hair they sported, and he hadn’t seem them around until now. One guy had grey hair with a dark undercut, and the other had sandy hair, also with a dark undercut.  _Twins?_ The prisoner with sandy hair stepped forward and laughed a little.

‘You’ve got guts, neighbour. We saw the whole thing! Those punches were kind of weak though.’ He muttered, leaning his weight onto Akaashi’s shoulder, much to his utter dismay. ‘I can tell you’re just a goodie two shoes the rest of the time, am I right?’ He laughed, before standing up straight and leaning in to look directly at Akaashi’s face- primarily his scar. ‘Yet, that scar says different, huh? Who have you pissed off already?’ He wondered out loud, before getting pulled back harshly by the other inmate. 

‘’Tsumu, you told me you wanted to say hi, not act like such a creep.’ The grey-haired guy scolded, holding the guy back by the scruff of his jumpsuit. The latter flailed around a good amount in protest. ‘Sorry. I’m Osumu Miya, and this puke-face is my brother Atsumu. I like to ignore him, usually.’ He said blankly, still clutching his brother’s jumpsuit. Akaashi narrowed his eyes, and felt his fingers twitch involuntarily. He wasn’t sure whether he wanted to talk to these guys. 

Pulling him from his thoughts, however, the blonde finally broke free and shoved his brother with a growl, and looked back at the smaller inmate, still talking to Osumu however.

‘Yeah! I just wanted to say hi, ‘Samu, is that so wrong?’ He huffed. ‘I’ve been in solitary for the past month for making alcohol in my cell, and got back earlier today. I didn’t realise we had a new neighbour, so...’ he said, getting cut off by a piercing whistle. The three inmates whipped their heads around and saw Daichi stood at the end of the corridor, a less than impressed look crossing his face.

‘What part of prison lockdown don’t you guys get? Atsumu, do you want to go back to solitary? That can be arranged!’ He yelled, beginning his march over to the inmates. The blonde’s eyes widened, and he scampered backwards into his cell without a word. Osumu merely rolled his eyes and followed him, leaving Akaashi behind in a vaguely confused state. ‘That goes for you too, newbie. Inside, now. I’m closing the doors.’ He warned, slamming the first door to make a point. The latter ducked into his cell and collapsed onto the desk chair beside him, staring over at Bokuto who lay spread out on the bottom bunk, his chest still fully exposed. The sight almost made the smaller of the two blush. He cleared his throat a little to speak, still feeling sore.

‘What do you think about the Miya twins?’ He asked simply, waiting for his cellmate’s obliviously honest answer, as always. Bokuto hummed, and idly ran his free hand across his bandaged arm. 

‘Tsum-Tsum is super fun, but kind of annoying. Osumu... I’m not so sure. He seems okay, but he’s kinda quiet. We don’t speak much.’ He thought out loud. ‘Why do you ask, ‘agaashi?’ Bokuto questioned, tilting his head to the side to peer at Akaashi at a better angle with one eye. The latter shrugged. 

‘They just spoke to me briefly, and I wondered what they were like.’ He said indifferently, running his hand across the desk as a means of distraction. He heard his cellmate shift on the bed, and he looked over to see him struggling out of his jumpsuit. Akaashi blushed and almost fell off his seat in an attempt of looking anywhere else but at Bokuto’s (almost) nakedness. ‘Bokuto-san, maybe warn me before you change, yes?’ He asked, directing his question at the grey floor, focusing on the suddenly very interesting scuff marks left there from previous tenants. Bokuto laughed loudly.

‘Sorry, ‘kaashi. You can look now, I’ve got my bottoms on.’ He laughed again as he sank onto the mattress once more. ‘Erm, can I ask you to help me with my T-shirt when the door gets locked though? I can’t raise my arm all that well.’ He admitted sheepishly, rubbing a hand through his frosted tips. Akaashi’s blush stayed where it was, littering his cheeks with a pretty pink as he gazed over at his fellow inmate. However, he nodded in agreement all the same, and patiently waited for Daichi to come along and shut the door. 

They didn’t have to wait long, before a resounding clank filled their ears, and the light reduced significantly in the room. 

Akaashi stood up, and made his way over to Bokuto, reaching to the side of him to grab his night shirt. He slowly manoeuvred the injured arm above his head, holding the weight of it as a means to not put pressure on the muscles, and shimmied the shirt over Bokuto’s head and arms. His fingertips graced against his surprisingly soft skin on his inner biceps, unnecessarily adjusting the sleeves to sit right. Smoothing his hand down the material, he almost lost himself in what he was doing, until Bokuto’s low voice interrupted him.

‘’Kaashi? Are you okay?’ He whispered. ‘I’m sorry about what I said before. You’ve been through a lot, and I made it worse.’ He said sadly. Akaashi frowned, and shook his head. His movement almost lost in the dim lighting of the cell.

‘Actually, you were right. You always are, Bokuto-san, and it never ceases to amaze me.’ He admitted, hovering over his cellmate who perched on the edge of the bed with crossed legs. Feeling brave, he reached his long fingers down, and placed his hands solidly against Bokuto’s firm thighs, pushing all of his weight onto him. He heard his friend’s breath hitch as he carried on. ‘You’re a star. No, no wait. You’re my star. In this hell of grey walls, and grey floors, and grey jumpers, and grey desks...’

‘And grey showers!’ Bokuto supplied helpfully. Akaashi snickered. 

‘...and grey showers.’ He agreed. ‘Even amongst all of that dullness, you somehow manage to brighten up any room, and you make me want to try my best, because I know that you are.’ He admitted, sliding down to his knees, but not removing his hands from where they rested. ‘Never stop shining, Bokuto-san.’ He added in a hushed voice. 

For a brief moment, Akaashi felt a little embarrassed. He had quite clearly just crossed a line with how handsy he was being, and how sappy his words were-  _he appreciated poetry, sue him-_ but that feeling didn’t last long, as strong fingers had laced their way around his one arm, pulling him back up and onto Bokuto’s lap. He shifted a little to get comfortable on his friend’s crossed legs, and gently laid his arms over his shoulders. 

‘You think I’m a star?’ Bokuto asked sweetly, skimming his calloused fingers across Akaashi’s shoulder. The latter nodded. ‘Akaashi, I don’t shine half as bright as you.’ He whispered, adding slight pressure to where his hand had found it’s place on Akaashi’s neck, and tugged him down to press their lips together. 

Akaashi’s eyes flew open in surprise, but easily melted into the warmth being pressed against him. Their mouths moved tentatively against one another, testing each other’s boundaries in sweet little pecks and nips. The feel of Bokuto’s hair beneath his fingers felt lush, which he didn’t expect at all. He had never felt anything so soft in his life, and he couldn’t get enough of it. With that in mind, he pulled on the locks ever so slightly, earning himself an endearing moan from his cellmate. However, he figured he shouldn’t push too far. He wanted to do this right, so he pulled back from the sweetness of Bokuto’s vaguely chapped lips, and placed a final chaste peck on his blushing cheek. 

‘Want to lay down for a while?’ Akaashi asked against his flushed skin, his arms still wrapped around Bokuto’s neck, with his hands carding through his hair. He received an eager nod, and without any warning, got pulled down to the mattress with just one strong hand braced against his back. The larger of the pair shuffled over holding his bad arm against his chest, and snaking the other underneath Akaashi’s head as a pillow. 

Neither man said anything. They didn’t need to after all. They merely breathed in each other’s air and clung to one another for dear life. The material against Bokuto’s chest was bunched up in Akaashi’s firm grip, and the back of the latter’s jumpsuit collar was held tightly by the other. 

In a final attempt at getting even closer, Akaashi rested his head under Bokuto’s chin, pressing himself against his side so he could feel his presence. Both men had cute smiles adorning their faces, and- at least in that moment- they felt like their problems weren’t as big as they seemed. Although in the back of the smaller inmate’s mind, he couldn’t help but feel the resentment toward a certain other prisoner fester into an ugly ball, that he was sure would soon surface once more. Also, to make matters worse, he still had tomorrow’s plan to deal with.

Kuroo would have to wait, and he would without a doubt be in the pit for a while at least. So Tendo was the first objective, and with Bokuto by his side in that very moment, Akaashi felt unstoppable, and he wouldn’t lose to anyone else ever again. 


End file.
